Find better alternatives to silver birch in WNY Gardening Matters

birch bark
Here are some native alternatives to the silver birch. From left is the river birch, the paper or canoe birch, and the yellow birch. Photos are courtesy John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org; Davis Sydnor, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org, and Joseph OBrien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

People love the beauty of silver birch trees (Betula pendula) but have realized that variety is short lived and susceptible to the birch borer. Find other native alternatives that are more interesting in this article by Lyn Chimera.

It’s in the current issue of WNY Gardening Matters, produced by the Master Gardeners of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Erie County.

“Remember, if you want to plant a tree always check for an appropriate native first,” Chimera said.

Other articles in this issue are:

2 Comments on “Find better alternatives to silver birch in WNY Gardening Matters

  1. We have several river birch trees in our yard. Love the way the bark looks, especially in winter.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Name *