Snow Queen Birch Trees

• Variety: Snow Queen, the Himalayan birch that turns white young
• Common name: Snow Queen birch
• Latin name: Betula utilis subsp. jacquemontii 'Snow Queen'
• Type: Deciduous tree
• Mature height: About 7m (23ft) in 20 years, more than 12m (40ft) in time
• Spread: More than 8m at maturity
• Habit: Ascending branches and an oval crown
• Bark: Clear white on trunk and branches, from a young age
• Autumn colour: Yellow
• Catkins: Male catkins to 15cm long
• Soil: Any, chalk included. Smaller on thin chalk
• Position: Full sun or light shade. Sun gives the whitest bark
• Hardiness: H7, hardy anywhere in the UK
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: Yes (1993)
• Good for: Winter bark, a lawn specimen, a group of three
• Similar varieties: Trinity College (stops at 8m), Himalayan Birch (the parent)
• Sold as: Bareroot standards, 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth. Pot-grown standard, 200/250cm tall in a 10 litre pot
• Plant: Bareroot from November to April. Pot-grown in any month
• Delivered: Bareroot November to April, pot-grown all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Snow Queen is a white-barked Himalayan birch, Betula utilis subsp. jacquemontii 'Doorenbos', that shows clear white bark at a young age and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Allow for about 7m in twenty years and more than 12m in time.

Snow Queen Birch Trees

'Snow Queen Birch' 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 in its first twenty years, and more than 12 metres in time, 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-April inclusive. Pot-grown trees are delivered all year, whenever they are in stock.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they're 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's 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).

Growing Snow Queen Birch

Suitable for pretty much any soil, chalk included (though it makes a smaller tree on thin chalk), it looks best in full sun (especially in winter) but will tolerate light shade.

She is a classic partner for white-flowered perennials. For a winter tableau, white hardy geraniums work well, as do hellebores and snowdrops.

History & Trivia

Simon Doorenbos (1891-1980) was Director of The Hague Parks Department between 1927 and 1957, and a founder of the International Dendrology Society. He also worked extensively with Dahlias, and bred a hybrid Elm, Den Haag, the first recorded attempt at a variety resistant to Dutch Elm disease, which had been discovered in Holland in 1921. The Liset crab apple is one of his many creations.

Standard trees are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level: their trunk's waist measurement. Unlike sapling trees and hedge plants, standards aren't measured by their height, which will vary quite a bit both between and within species.
So, a 6/8cm standard tree has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8cm and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10cm around. This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height.
On average, standard trees are 2-3.5 metres tall when they arrive, but we cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.

Planting Companions

White bark shows best against colour. The red and orange winter stems of dogwoods at its feet are the classic pairing, and a Tibetan Cherry nearby sets shining coppery-brown bark beside the white. If 12 metres is more tree than you have room for, Trinity College wears the same bark and stops at 8m. For more trees grown for bark, berries and winter outline, see our trees for ornamental interest.

Why Ashridge?

Ashridge Nurseries, established in 1949, was named Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Like for like, your bareroot Snow Queen is a larger tree and better value than a potted one. Bareroot trees are guaranteed for 12 months, as are pot-grown trees delivered leafless between November and March.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Snow Queen and Trinity College birch?

Size. Snow Queen grows past 12m in time; Trinity College stops at about 8m. Both are Himalayan birches selected for white bark at a young age. Snow Queen holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

How tall does a Snow Queen birch grow?

About 6m in ten years and 7m in twenty, and it keeps going after that, to more than 12m in the end. Birches grow fast for fifteen years and slow down after.

Will a Snow Queen birch grow on chalk?

Snow Queen grows on chalk, clay, loam and sand, at any pH. On thin chalk it makes a smaller tree than on deep ground, which in a garden is rarely a complaint.

When is the best time to prune a birch tree?

Prune a birch in late summer or autumn, and only if you must. Cuts made in late winter or spring bleed heavily. Snow Queen needs no more than a damaged or crossing branch removed.

When does the white bark appear on a Snow Queen birch?

Sooner on Snow Queen than on the ordinary Himalayan birch, which is what Doorenbos selected it for. The old layer peels away in papery strips to show fresh white beneath.

What can I plant under a birch tree?

Plants that like light shade and dryish soil, because birch roots are shallow and wide. Snowdrops, hellebores and hardy geraniums all do well, and the canopy is thin enough to let them flower.