Ask the gardener

Top garden designer Charlie O’Leary of The Pavilion Garden Centre, Ballygarvan, Co Cork, answers your questions. If you have a question for Charlie, email: [e-mail] or post it on our Facebook page or The Pavilion’s Facebook page.

WHITE stemmed birch is striking at any time of year, but never more apparent than this season when its white bark lights up in the winter sun.

One of my favourite trees for the small to medium garden is the Himalayan or White Stemmed Birch — Betula utilis var. Jacquemontii. It is a graceful, elegant tree that is hardy and very easy to grow.

It provides year-round interest with yellow catkins in spring, green leaves in summer that turn a buttery yellow in autumn. Winter is when it really shines. All you see is pure white bark. Birch trees are really good in smaller gardens as they do not grow too large and their roots are not invasive. As they do not have a dense canopy they will allow the light to shine through when in leaf.

This means that the White Stemmed Birch provides the perfect environment for under planting with bulbs or seasonal colour and while they provide privacy they do not cause problems by providing too much shade.

Q. I have a good sized area at the end of my garden that is elevated and exposed. What type of tree could I plant that would give me year round interest?

A. As the White Stemmed Birch is hardy and tolerant of very exposed sites and as you have the space, why not plant a group of these elegant trees, highlighting their stunning bark.

Q. I would like to plant a White Stemmed Birch but I would like a mature one that would act as a focal point, where would I find one and would it be very expensive?

A. I would recommend going for a multi-stemmed tree, ie more than one stem coming from the ground instead of a main trunk. This will grow wider than the single stemmed birch and would be more suitable as a focal point. Now is a good time to buy mature trees from garden centres as you can get them bare-rooted. This means the trees are not potted and their roots are exposed. However, you will never see the roots exposed when you visit your local garden centre, they will always be settled in sand or soil to protect their roots. The bare root season runs from mid-October to March. Such trees can only be planted during this period while they are dormant during the colder winter season. Bare root trees are much less expensive than their potted counterparts.

Q. I would like to plant a smallish tree that would give me year-round interest but that would also encourage wildlife to the garden?

A. The spring catkins on the birch attract early beneficial insects to the garden and, as already mentioned, the White Stemmed Birch has a striking story to tell each season of the year.

* If you have any gardening questions, you can contact Charlie by visiting www.thepavilion.ie, facebook.com/thepavilioncork, or via twitter @the_pavilion.