Betula nana - Dwarf Birch

The Dwarf Birch, Betula nana in Latin, was very popular in public spaces during the 70s and gradually fell into obscurity. It is a small, extremely tough, creeping shrub with magnificent autumn colours. Its prostrate branches have small shiny leaves from spring to summer, becoming yellow and orange to red at the end of the season. It is also a very hardy and adaptable plant, which does very well in shallow soils and cultivation in containers, as long as the soil remains moist. It is time to rediscover this adorable shrub, a real treasure for small city gardens, balconies, and sunny terraces.

The Dwarf Birch is an sub-shrub of the family Betulaceae, native to peat bogs and poor, acidic heathlands in Asia, the central and northern regions of Europe, and northern and arctic America. It is slow-growing with a speading and prostrate habit, not exceeding 60cm (23.6 in) in height and 1.50m (4 ft 11 in) in spread. Its deciduous foliage is composed of small, glossy, rounded leaves, finely toothed at the edges, often wider than long, medium green in colour and turning orange in autumn. The young branches are erect. The inconspicuous flowers appear from April to May depending on the region. The dwarf birch bears both male catkins and erect yellow-brown female flowers.

The main attraction of the dwarf birch is its autumn foliage, but its small size is a also a real asset for small spaces, rockeries, or containers. It is fabulous in combination with red or purple grasses, such as Imperata 'Red Baron' or Phormium tenax Purpureum, both in mass plantings and on the terrace. Any colourful foliage will look great with it: Physocarpus Diable d'Or, Diabolo, Lady in Red or Midnight, Heuchera XXL or even Hydrangea macrophylla 'Jofloma'. Summer and acid-loving heathers, such as Calluna, are perfect companions for this shrub that grows alongside them in boreal heathlands (i.e. the cold temperate regions of northern Europe and America) .

Did you know?

The dwarf birch is believed to be the woody plant that ventured closest to the ice during the last glaciation. This species, a relic from the glacial era, has become rare in central Europe, probably due to the disappearance of natural peat bogs.