Silver birch, which is also known as European white birch and warty birch, has a graceful shape. This is why the tree is called the ‘lady of the woods’ with white and pale brown peeling bark. As one of the fast growing trees, you can also plant this at your home with the following planting ideas.

Best Silver Birch Planting Ideas for Your Backyard

  • Floral Underplanting
    If you want to make your birches look more beautiful, you can use underplanting ideas. Floral underplanting is one of the most recommended ones. Your birch can be grouped with two or three floral underplantings as birches are usually grown as specimen trees.
    The first idea of floral underplanting that you can adopt for your silver birches is perennials. If you want floral underplanting for summer, you might consider planting cranesbill or meadow rue. Meanwhile for the spring season, you can choose between primrose, peonies, bleeding heart, Solomon’s seal, carpet bugle, and columbines.
    For winter sparkles, colorful hellebores and heath are perfect for your birches’ companion. Floral underplanting using flowering bulbs is not a bad idea as well. That means you can consider growing squill, lily of the valley, snowdrop, daffodil, bluebell, and winter aconite.
    When it comes to floral underplanting, you need to decide what color scheme you want to use. If you like something colorful in your garden, choose flowers with eye-catching colors. However, using matching and harmonious colors does not make your birch less interesting.

  • Ferns Underplanting
    Silver birch planting ideas are varied, one of the best ones is ferns underplanting. If you do not want to grow flowers, ferns as plants not having flowers are perfect. Soft shield fern, royal fern, hard fern, lady fern, and ostrich fern are attractive combinations you can consider.

  • Structural Planting
    If you want to show your creative side through the appearance of your silver birch garden, go for structural planting. Growing your birches in odd numbers are usually better than in even numbers. However, planting the trees in even numbers might be a good idea for you who like everything symmetrical.
    If the yard is relatively large, planting silver birch in odd numbers structurally would be better. For example, you might try planting 9 trees, but do not plant them in rows. Plant them in a 1-2-3-4 position to make it look like the arrangement of pins in a bowling game.

  • Shrubs and Grasses Underplanting
    Your birch trees might need some other companion ideas, so may consider shrubs and grasses. To give your garden a striking look, you can try growing witch hazels. Moreover, the fast-growing wintercreeper as low-growing variegated evergreens is also a great option.
    Meanwhile for grass underplanting ideas, Mexican feather grass is one of the practical ones. Once it matures, the grass would be aesthetic and drought-tolerant. If you want other options, sedges and greater wood rush are probably your favorites.

Silver birch can be planted anywhere, but you should choose a more compact birch variety for smaller gardens. Birches usually reach 30 meters in height, making it at risk of falling. That is why you need to grow it 5 meters from your house. It would prevent the tree from damaging your house because of the strong wind.