Snow Queen Birch Large Trees

Betula utilis jacquemontii Snow Queen: Doorenbos Himalayan Birch Trees in Standard Sizes

Betula utilis jacquemontii Snow Queen, or Doorenbos, is a royal presence in the garden. The sublime pure-white bark is a fabulous feature all year round, particularly in the colder months, when the structural 'bones' of a garden are revealed and the tree is lit by the low winter sun. Snow Queen develops her white bark earlier than regular Himalayan Birches.
Spring brings those pretty little catkins, shivering in the March breeze like lambs' tails, and in Autumn the leaves turn soft mango-yellow before falling to reveal a handsome pyramid-shaped skeleton, the upper limbs swaying with the wind. It's a lovely specimen tree, used as a focal point, or planted in small groups to create a coppice of luminous white bark. Reaching about 7 metres with an upright habit, an avenue of them can provide light screening.
Browse the rest of our range of birch trees.

Delivery season: Birches are delivered bareroot during late autumn and winter, approximately November-March inclusive.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they are best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it is convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Features:

• Final height/spread: 7 x 3.5m in 20 years
• Foliage: deciduous, green, forming a light canopy
• Soil: well drained
• Use: avenue, specimen, woodland, particularly in small gardens
• White peeling bark, spring catkins, orange autumn leaf colour
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Growing Snow Queen Birch

Suitable for pretty much any soil except chalk, it looks best in full sun (especially in winter) but will tolerate light shade.

She is small enough to fit in most borders as a specimen, and is a classic partner for white-flowered perennials. For a stunning winter tableau, white hardy geraniums work well, as do hellebores and snowdrops.