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.