Betula nigra Summer Cascade - Birch

Betula nigra 'Summer Cascade' is a black birch with an unusual weeping habit. It is a small tree with long, flexible branches that arch down in cascades, adorned with shiny medium green triangular leaves. In autumn, they turn bright yellow before falling to the ground revealing a framework covered in a thin paper-like bark that peels off in pink and orange shreds to expose the smooth, very light surface underneath. Black birch is a robust, hardy species that is easy to grow in full sun or partial shade in non-calcareous, moist to wet, even heavy soils. 

The Black birch, or Betula nigra, is a deciduous tree native to warm regions in southeastern U.S.A. In nature, it is found along watercourses and swamps, although it can tolerate much drier conditions. It is also called "River Birch".

The 'Summer Cascade' cultivar was bred back in 1996 by J.D. Allen in the United States. It is distinctive because of its compact growth and graceful weeping habit. This small tree develops very slowly compared to other varieties. Its branches naturally weep and arch gracefully, almost touching the ground. With age, the tree acquires a wide canopy of 4 m (13 ft 1 in), branching at a height of 6 m (19 ft 8 in) above the ground. Juvenile trunks are silver-white, until a fairly advanced age. The brown bark of old trees, is furrowed at the base and peels off in large pink and orange flakes, revealing the lighter, new bark underneath. The young branches are brownish and dotted with dark lenticels. Its triangular leaves turn golden yellow in autumn.

The 'Summer Cascade' black birch is a fairly tolerant plant when it comes to soil, as long as it is not too dry or calcareous. It is useful for drying out overly wet soils in summer. It thrives in partial shade, with its weeping shape and dwarf growth making it a real asset for small to medium-sized gardens. It will be at its best in the centre of a border, surrounded by ground-cover perennials such as lungworts, Trachystemon orientalis, or a carpet of wood anemones. It lends itself to superb combinations with other plants that are particularly striking in winter, such as Cornus with its multicoloured bark, witch hazels and the fragrant, winter flowering Sarcococca. Its autumn foliage can be combined with that of the Nyssa sylvatica in boggy soil or at the edge of a pond, or with that of deciduous viburnums or Parrotia persica in drier soil…