I have had birches lose their leaves in summer due to drought, get some more when it rains and then drop those. Something similar might happen to yours.
I wouldn't do anything. Birches are beautiful until you start cutting them back, then they lose all their grace and become lumps.
As to fertilizer, don't force feed a sick patient.
Fairygirl, your guess is as good as mine. It was sent through the post from some Internet nature site. It was literally a stick about 1ft long. I just dropped it into a piece of dirt by my shed and 2 years later it's nearly 8ft tall and still climbing, I have to move it next weekend though.
You should have a little tree icon at the right hand side of the toolbar at the top of the window you post in. Just click on it and follow the instructions
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
18 months on and my Lady of the Woods has (all by herself!) made a majestic recovery from the Marssonina betulae which she fell prey to during the dreadfully wet summer of 2012. All the new shoots she formed in late summer, immediately after the leaf drop, have contributed to something like 90% leaf cover this year, all spotlessly clean, and she is looking very healthy - and SO beautiful!!
Incidentally ... to my knowledge there IS such a thing as copper birch. The weeping variety is particularly beautiful - I only wish I could have found space for it in my garden!
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I have had birches lose their leaves in summer due to drought, get some more when it rains and then drop those. Something similar might happen to yours.
I wouldn't do anything. Birches are beautiful until you start cutting them back, then they lose all their grace and become lumps.
As to fertilizer, don't force feed a sick patient.
In the sticks near Peterborough
If you can take a pic and put it onto a thread here that will help ID it Duncan.
I've never heard of a copper Birch either so I'd guess it's the Prunus, but a photo will help confirm it for you
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You should have a little tree icon at the right hand side of the toolbar at the top of the window you post in. Just click on it and follow the instructions
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
18 months on and my Lady of the Woods has (all by herself!) made a majestic recovery from the Marssonina betulae which she fell prey to during the dreadfully wet summer of 2012. All the new shoots she formed in late summer, immediately after the leaf drop, have contributed to something like 90% leaf cover this year, all spotlessly clean, and she is looking very healthy - and SO beautiful!!
Incidentally ... to my knowledge there IS such a thing as copper birch. The weeping variety is particularly beautiful - I only wish I could have found space for it in my garden!
I knew I was correct, shame on the garden centre for saying it didn't exist
Lots of googling reveals that there is a Copper River birch - betula nigra.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
or black birch
In the sticks near Peterborough
Yes - nigra = black, so does Copper in this case refer to a place called Copper River maybe?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.