Heritage River Birch | Betula nigra 'Cully'
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The Heritage River Birch boasts a beautiful creamy white trunk with exfoliating tan, cinnamon, and pink toned papery bark, as well as glossy green leaves that turn buttery yellow each fall. It has the whitest trunk of all the birch varieties and is one of the most heat tolerant birch trees.
Heritage is a North American native, growing along riverbanks and floodplains across the eastern U.S. It grows very quickly, adding up to four feet per year, and it grows 40 to 60 feet tall with a spread of 25 to 40 feet. It is great for wet places in the landscape and thrive in soggy, clay soils.
Heritage grows in a pyramidal form in its younger years and rounds its canopy as it matures, creating a nice shady place for a picnic table or a bench. The leaves have a lovely rustling sound in the breeze, making it a relaxing place to unwind and listen to nature. It can be pruned yearly to train it to a desired form, or it can be left to grow naturally. This beautiful tree is a perfect addition to any landscape.
Care
Pick a location that receives at least four hours of sunlight and has ample room for the mature tree. Choosing a place with morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal. The soil should be acidic with a pH between 5.0 to 6.5 for best results, but alkaline soils can be amended to help the Heritage thrive. It also has a high tolerance for dense, poor draining soils, like clay. It does not like to sit in standing water for long periods, so if the spot holds standing water, mound up the soil two feet to help drain water away from the main root ball.
Dig a hole twice as wide as the container and where the roots just will be covered. Place the plant and adjust it as desired. Mix half of the removed soil with compost and backfill the hole halfway. Water to settle the soil and remove air pockets. Once the water drains, backfill the rest of the soil and water thoroughly.
Water the birch every two to three days of the first season to help it establish, and always water this tree in dry periods. If the tree is not in naturally soggy soil, water it deeply for two or three hours per week to keep it well hydrated.
Spread 3 inches of mulch, preferably hardwood, in a circle as wide as the branches spread around the tree. Ensure the mulch does not directly touch the trunk. Hardwood mulch keeps the soil cool and retains moisture better than other mulches. It only needs fertilizer if it is showing signs of stress.
Prune dead, diseased, or crossing branches. Prune as the tree grows for a balanced appearance. Through pruning, the Heritage River birch can be trained as a single trunk or a multi-stem tree. Prune in the fall and winter when the tree is dormant to avoid sap bleed and injury. Leave at least 75% of the tree intact when trimming.
Young trees can be shielded to protect them from rabbit and deer damage. Use hardware cloth or a tree collar to keep animals from gnawing on the bark.
Uses in the Landscape
Heritage is both beautiful and versatile. It is low maintenance and is hardy in zones 4 to 9. It can grow in full sun or partial shade. It adapts to many soil types as long as they are acidic or amended to be acidic. It grows best in soggy or clay soils, making it a perfect choice for a rain garden or a pond feature. It thrives in low spots in the landscape where many other plants wither. It is a stunning focal tree or planted as part of a tree grouping as a windbreak, such as in front of a line of evergreens. If planting in mass, give at least 20 feet of space between trees. Anywhere it is placed in the landscape, it will shine!
Companion Plants
Chocolate Chip Ajuga's rich, dark color is a wonderful contrast to the white bark of the Heritage, and it only needs to be trimmed once yearly. It is low growing, so it will not impede the view of this tree's gorgeous bark. It has shallow roots and will not compete with the root system.
The Autumn Fern is a great choice for colors to highlight the cinnamon and pink tones of the bark. It can be planted below the canopy, as it thrives in shade to partial shade. Tuck it in around the Chocolate Chip Ajuga, as it also has shallow roots and will not damage the tree's root system.
A tall evergreen, like a grouping of Sky Pencil Holly if space is limited or North Pole Thuja if there is space or if a windbreak or natural fence is needed. The bright white bark of the birch will really dazzle all year in front of this lush green backdrop.
The dark purple-blue flowers of the Pugster Blue Butterfly Bush complement the white bark of the Heritage, and the plant stays low, so it can be planted in front of the Heritage without blocking the view of the trunk. It should be planted just outside of the tree's canopy so it receives ample sunlight.
Little Henry Sweetspire can be planted about ten feet from the Heritage's trunk to give ample room for both plants' root systems. It is a great spacer in a mass planting of birch trees. Plant this at the ten foot mark between the trees for a lovely display. This moisture-loving shrub blooms beautiful white bottlebrush flowers and bold fall colors.
Ordering
Our processing time usually is 1-3 days after receiving the order. Orders taken after 4:00 pm on Wednesday through Sunday will be shipped the following Monday.
Shipping
The Plant Factory, Inc. offers the very best shipping processes to ensure quick, safe, and near-perfect results every time. Cold and heat may deter your order temporarily until it is safe to receive and plant your plants/trees in your area. At our discretion, we will hold order until the threat is gone, ensuring you with the healthiest and most viable product ordered:
Summer Above 95 degrees | Winter- Below 34 degrees.
Plant Highlights
- Growing Zone: 4-9
- Plant Brand: The Plant Factory Choice
- Botanical Name: Betula nigra 'Cully'
- Foliage Color: Dark green
- Flower Color: yellow-brown catkin
- Flower Fragrance: N/A
- Fall Color: Yellow
- Type: Deciduous
- Mature Height: 40 - 60 feet
- Mature Width: 25 to 40 feet
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Needs: Adaptable; prefers moist acidic soils
- Water Needs: Moderate
- Pruning Needs: Prune as needed during dormant months
- Awards: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Gold Metal Plant Award
- Grown by: The Plant Factory
- Pollinator Friendly: No
- Deer Resistant: Yes
- Pet Friendly: Yes
- Reblooming: No
- Cold and Heat Tolerant: Yes
Note: We put pictures and videos on our site to best represent our products, as an example of our quality as a grower. You may, however, receive a smaller or larger plant than pictured, depending on the season you buy. You may or may not get a plant blooming as shown on our site. We usually trim off blooms because they do not ship well. Your purchase of our plants should be considered an investment in your future garden to enjoy growing to its full potential.
