River Birch Tree
 

We want to tree with a little character. We are looking at planting a river birch tree behind the birdcage of our home. I have been reading that birch trees can get extremely big and messy, but all the birch trees I have seen around TV seem more manageable size-wise. Anyone with any experience with this type of tree in their yard?

— not in the yard in TV, but in the northern yard. . .

River birches need a lot of water. In long periods without rain, up north, in summer, I lay the hose around the base of the tree and let it slowly water.

When river birches go too long without water, their leaves will begin to turn yellow and drop — and they do not care what season it is if they need to do that.

They also drop a lot of sticks and twigs in wind.

Some river birches I have seen in my northern neighborhood have been planted too close to the house. What starts out as a lovely little landscape tree can quickly outgrow a tight spot.

I have been willing to take care of our northern river birch, in spite of its quirks. It is so pretty that I can forgive it, even though it causes extra work. But I don’t think I would want a river birch in Florida. You might want to look into it further before you decide.

Boomer

Water shouldn’t be an issue since it is on retention pond. Size, root system and debris would be my major concerns. Our fallback option is a crepe myrtle, dogwood or red maple.

river birch
 

i planted a river birch about 5 years ago. my home is on #6 Pensacola green tees. It was 5' high in the ground when planted and now is about 20' high. Was told to water it a lot the first 6 months, and now I just water with a soaking hose off my irrigation. tree has matured nicely and is not messy, only in December when it loses its leaves for a couple of months. If I had to do over I would have planted all river birches in lieu of palm trees. Theu almost always come a 3 trunk tree, canopy spread can be up to 20+ feet so give them ample room around structures, much better tree than an oak.

An isolated River Birch, with no other trees to protect it from the wind, is likely split and fall. Had that happen up in Georgia and ended up taking it down completely.

According to the Florida Dept of Agriculture River Birch are not native to this area, thus planting one is introducing an invasive species. I'm sure there is a nice native Florida tree that would foot the bill.

Not a native Florida tree and should not be planted.

Grow fast and lovely up north. 3 years nine grew a lot.

lots of problems with bag worms and you have to use Systemic Insect killer when it gets large because you can't reach the top ... thats were the worms will be ,not a good selection for Florida

Many good points — I agree. I’m well familiar with them. Great trees in proper application. Two additions: they are RAPID growers. And, if you do get one, I’d suggest a single trunk version, not a tree with several trunks. A River Birch with several trunks will grow to cover an enormous area in a small lot. Single trunks will grow upright. They are beautiful trees. There are several planted along the walkway of the Smithsonian in DC for lovely affect.

A River Birch will not do very well in Florida. It’s a cooler climate tree

River Birch Trees
 

River Birch are messy. The bark falls off and so do the leaves. They grow fast and are pretty trees. The branches are messy too. Not a low maintenance tree.

From the University of Florida website (Gardening Solutions page):

“River Birch

Peeling bark of a river birch
River birch is a good choice for the North or Central Florida gardener who wants a fast-growing tree.

River birch typically reaches about 35 feet in height, with a network of fine branches making up a narrow to oval-shaped crown. Its bark is extremely showy and peels off in attractive sheets of beige or creamy white, and the leaves are triangular. It adds nice color and interest to the winter landscape.”

River Birch - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Forget river birch
 

We had two when we lived up north. Looked great initially but grew over 40 feet high and had 25 feet canopy. They dropped debris all summer. When I cut them down I discovered a massive root system. A better choice would be a dogwood assuming they will grow in Florida

Yes, we had 6 in our yard up North. They are self pruning trees meaning they regularly drop branches. We sure got the exercise keeping those picked up and luckily we had a wooded area in the back to dump them. The leaves drop earlier in the fall than most and they are small which makes them tougher to rake up. We usually mowed them into the lawn rather than pick them up. Not sure if that can be done with Florida grasses if you have any. The little wormy seeds that drop in the spring didn’t bother us but could be quite a nuisance in some locations. They are attractive in the summer and show off their pretty bark in winter but in my opinion a bit of an eyesore in the fall. Ours were 30-40 years old so quite large and a nice distance from the house. I would not put them anywhere near the home. When mature these trees can put you 6 feet under with the large branches they drop.

I had planted two river birch trees at our prior home in Missouri. They are very fast growing, they are beautiful, and they provide terrific shade. But, there is a cost to all of that. I did not mind the fact that they shed leaves...that's what deciduous trees do. It was the shedding of limbs and twigs that did me in. I'm not talking a handful here and there, either. Numerous times throughout the year the trees would drop hundreds and hundreds of small branches, and even some larger ones. While this is "normal" for a river birch, it turned out to be a maintenance chore I would not want to repeat. There are better choices.

Our River Birch had a very wide spread.

First of all I'm in Virginia. Florida may be different, of course. My next door neighbor has one that was planted in 2001. It is HUGE!. Over the spring it sprays sap & drops these small brown things that break apart when you touch or sweep them. Fall, of course the leaves are everywhere. Throughout the winter, especially on windy days twigs fall everywhere. All winter and into the spring we were constantly picking up twigs. It's a beautiful tree, but all year round it is dropping something and making a mess.

Weak trees.
I dropped on at my house, right down the middle of the driveway.
perfect.
This 60 footer hit the ground and exploded into wood chips.
Horrible trees. Nice to look at but terrible to own

We had them in front and back of our house (already there when we moved in). I thought they were nice when I first moved in but I soon hated those trees. VERY messy trees, constantly dropping branches so requires a lot of cleaning up twigs. Roots can go 20 feet or more. We eventually took them down. I would not recommend them.

According to the UF/IAS Gardening Solutions website:

River Birch

River birch is a good choice for the North or Central Florida gardener who wants a fast-growing tree.

River birch typically reaches about 35 feet in height, with a network of fine branches making up a narrow to oval-shaped crown. Its bark is extremely showy and peels off in attractive sheets of beige or creamy white, and the leaves are triangular. It adds nice color and interest to the winter landscape.

River birch can thrive in full or part sun, and can tolerate a variety of soils, although it prefers moist, even very wet areas. It’s moderately drought tolerant and requires little or no pruning, making it a fairly low-maintenance choice if located in the right spot. Look for the variety named ‘Duraheat’ for maximum success.

UF/IFAS Sites

Betula nigra Dura-Heat™, Dura-Heat Birch
Florida Plant ID: River Birch
UF/IFAS Publications

Betula nigra: River Birch
Betula nigra 'Heritage': 'Heritage' River Birch
Also on Gardening Solutions

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Standout Trees

fast grower, first to loose leaves in fall/no color, last to leaf in the summer, requires LOTS of water, beautiful when in and out of season. I've had them at two houses. Love them despite the above. They get big. Two main varieties: single trunk and "clump"

I love River Birch trees. We had two in South Carolina but, like many, we planted them too close to the house. We thought we gave them ample room but in five years, ended up having them removed. Also, you need to be weary of the roots. They will tear up sidewalks, driveways and foundations if too close. I grew up in East Tennessee and had a creek that ran in front of the house with several River Birch’s along the edge. Perfect environment for them.

Far from an expert but,"I have seen around TV seem more manageable size-wise." suggests they do not live long here. We had a huge one in zone 5 our soil was ph 6.5 slightly acid.

Others mentioned dogwoods. We had two dogwoods that when in bloom, people would stop to admire them. There are diseases killing them off in the United States. I replaced one several times and the replacement, supposed to be disease resistant also died in a couple of years. They require acidic soil. Our soil is loaded with lime and they are actually a undergrowth tree-partial shade. There are a couple in the back of Eisenhower rec center partially shaded by oaks. Due to oaks I assume the soil is more acid than our typical lot. They seem to be in decline.