This tree is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.

• Position: full sun or lightly dappled shade
• Soil: moderately fertile, well-drained soil
• Rate of growth: average
• Flowering period: April to May
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  A deciduous tree which tolerates a wide range of soils, Betula papyrifera is a robust pioneer species with a most attractive gleaming white bark, which peels off in papery strips to reveal an orange-brown bark underneath. Young plants have reddish brown trunks and stems that develop into the characteristic 'papery' bark. Yellow catkins appear from mid spring and the ovate, irregularly toothed, dark green leaves turn bright yellow in autumn.
  
  
• Garden care: Birches need little pruning, but you may want to remove any diseased or crossing branches. It is essential that any pruning work is carried out between late summer to mid winter as the sap will 'bleed' heavily at other times. When planting incorporate lots of well-rotted garden compost in the planting and stake well.