BETULA NIGRA HERITAGE:
THE HERITAGE RIVER BIRCH
From the Editor: At one of the very first events I attended after starting The
Weedpatch Gazette seven years ago, I was introduced by famed nurseryman Roy Klehm to a
gentleman named Earl Cully. Roy simply said, "You have to know Earl. He's
responsible for the Heritage River Birch."
While we have become friends since, I suppose Roy's remark was the first time that I had
really thought about the fact that someone, somewhere, is responsible for picking out,
evaluating and breeding the trees that end up in our landscapes. And in this case,
Earl Cully picked out a real beauty. He found it growing in a stranger's front yard,
stopped his car and asked if he could have a cutting, and proceeded to grow it out at his
farm in Jacksonville, IL. It proved worthy, and the rest is tissue-culture history.
This is simply a lovely tree to grow in clumps. I myself am planning two
groups of them on the west side of our house, just outside the windows so that I can see
them, and so can passers-by.
This is what plant guru Mike Dirr [Manual of Woody Landscape Plants] says about
the Heritage River Birch:
"A patented selection introduced by Mr. Earl Cully (Jacksonville, IL). Over the 8
years since the last edition, this introduction has earned a place in the Birch Hall of
Fame. It is commonly grown and superior to the run-of-the-mill seedlings, generally
produced through tissue culture and rooted cuttings; tremendous vigor and side-by-side
comparisons in a southern nursery show Heritage outgrowing the seedlings by 50%, leaves
are larger, glossier dark green, and less prone to leaf spot; fall color, like the
species, is variable but in October of 1987 and 1988 was an excellent yellow in the
Athens, Georgia area; does not match that of Betula lenta but what does?; The bark starts
to exfoliate on young trunks (1-2 in diameter) and opens to a white- to salmon-white on
young stems eventually darkening to salmon-brown as the tree ages, the bark is in every
way superior to row-run seedlings and I have walked many nursery rows and literally
marvelled at the fine coloration; it is cold-hardy to at least -40 degrees and is
extremely well adapted to the heat of Zone 8; interestingly, side-by-side comparisons of
Heritage and Whitespire in a local nursery indicate Heritage is superior in every
characteristic."
This is what John Sabuco [The Best of the Hardiest] says about this tree: "The
bark on this cultivar is pinkish white with a hint of tan or orange. Much prettier
than white birches. A tree must be 2 in caliper before this characteristic occurs.
It's a winner."
This is what Galen Gates (Chicago Botanic Garden) American Garden Guides: Trees
says about this tree:
"Excellent yellow fall color in most seasons in some areas, but fall color is not
reliable in Chicago."
This is what Derek says about this tree in his wonderful book, The Impressionist
Garden: "Other woodland scenes by Van Gogh show shadier plantings. Undergrowth
with Two Figures depicts a grove of pencil-straight poplar trees against a thicket of
dark evergreens, while the grass beneath the poplars is dappled with shadows and white,
yellow, and orange flowers. At Cedaridge Farm we have planted a grove of twenty-four
fast-growing river birch (Betula nigra Heritage) and underplanted them with white, yellow,
and orange daisies and coreopsis. The lower branches are pruned the better to expose
the honey-colored peeling bark. To walk through the airy birch grove with its pale
trunks and on into the redwood grove that lies beyond it is to capture the feeling of Van
Gogh's painting...."
TWG Editor: Are you convinced??
Betula nigra Heritage is available in the Chicago region. Go to
Plant Catalog: Trees
to find the retailer nearest you.
