Betula pendula Obelisk - Silver Birch

The Betula pendula 'Obelisk' is a weeping birch with an unusual columnar habit, its crown with ascending branches forming a flame-like shape. Its bright green foliage turns beautiful shades of yellow and brown at the end of the season. In winter, its slender and elegant frame as well as its white bark are admired. In the garden, this resilient tree only fears very dry and limestone soils.

Native to mainly Central Europe and temperate Asia, the Betula pendula (synonym B. verrucosa) or Weeping Birch is a large tree belonging to the birch family. It is widespread throughout most of our metropolitan territory, but absent from the Mediterranean region. This light-loving species, extremely cold-resistant, naturally has a pyramidal habit, a more or less straight trunk, and a generally oval crown carried by long branches that are erect almost to the top and have trailing branches at an acute angle. Its annual growth is about 35 cm in height and 20 cm in width.

The cultivar 'Obelisk' was discovered in northern France in the 1950s. It stands out with a slightly more modest development, slightly twisted ascending branches, and a narrower habit. It will reach about 15 m in height and 5 m in width. The trunk and main branches are covered with young white and smooth bark that peels slightly. Over time, on the trunks or older branches, it takes on a dark gray colour and a very rough appearance without the crevices usually observed in the typical species. The slightly knotty young branches are reddish-brown and dotted with warty lenticels. The deciduous foliage, composed of triangular leaves 6 to 10 cm long, bordered by coarse double teeth, is fairly dark green and glossy. They turn yellow and then brown before falling quite late in autumn. Flowering is inconspicuous in March-April, with greenish-yellow catkins about 1 cm long. The root system of this birch is shallow, forming a very dense network of small surface feeding roots.

The Weeping Birch 'Obelisk' is an elegant tree, very hardy and resistant to diseases. It tolerates wind and adapts to different types of soils without excessive moisture, drought, or limestone. It will make a beautiful statement as a specimen tree, in an alignment, hedge, or grove. To accompany it, choose other small trees with decorative bark, such as the Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) or the Fascination Birch. There are plenty of ideas for associations, depending on each gardener's taste: with a Caramel Tree, a Chinese Mahogany, or even a White Willow. Daffodils can also be planted at its base, with simplicity.