Betula White Spire
As I write this, I hope that the last flurries of winter snow are winding up at your place. The bellbirds, tuis and wax eyes are making me poor as they clean-up yet more sugar water. Over winter, the skeletons of the naked deciduous trees come to the fore as the winter sun highlight their elegant form. Perhaps one of the best for this purpose is the new columnar silver birch (Betula Utilis White Spire / White Column Birch). It’s upright pristine white branches and trunks show up even on the dullest of days. Very few people have discovered this useful hardy tree that is even suited to smaller restricted sites. Some of the first available trees were planted on the eastern entrance to Lawrence and these are already creating great interest. With their pristine white trunks, butter yellow autumn colours and long cream catkins in spring, what more could you want from an ornamental tree.
