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Betula ermanii Mount Zao Purple - Erman's Birch
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Dispatch by letter from €3.90.
Delivery charge from €5.90 Oversize package delivery charge from €6.90.
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This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty
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We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
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Betula ermanii 'Mount Zao Purple' is a very rare Japanese variety, sought after for its original purple-chocolate bark, covered with cream-orange stripes that exfoliate and widely striped with prominent horizontal cream lenticels! It forms a medium-sized deciduous tree with a slender, upright, branching silhouette often from the base, highlighting its highly marbled bark. The medium green deciduous foliage turns to rich orange tones in autumn before falling. This hardy tree grows in sunny well-drained soils but prefers moist soils. Plant it isolated on a lawn or in front of a large grove or curtain of dark or even bluish foliage trees to bring out the vibrant colours of its bark.
The Erman Birch, commonly known as the Erman Birch, is a deciduous tree native to mixed forests in Northeast Asia. The habit of this species, which reaches up to 25 m in height in its natural habitat, is columnar to oval, rounding with age. The 'Mount Zao Purple' variety was obtained from seeds collected by Kenneth Ashburner on Mount Zao, north of Honshu, Japan.
In our climate, the Erman Birch 'Mount Zao Purple' will reach approximately 15 m high and spread over 10 m after many years. In 20 years, it will only reach about 8 m high and 4 m wide. Its semi-open crown consists of loose branches covered with purple bark with chocolate tones. Its rather upright and oval shape is spreading and rounding with age. The bark is horizontally streaked with long cream lenticel bands and exfoliates in long orange cream flakes. Its ovate to triangular, 4 to 10 cm long, slightly toothed leaves are medium green. They bud early in spring and turn to deep orange early in autumn. The male and female inflorescences appear at the same time as the leaves in the form of pendulous yellow-green catkins. The flowers are very nectar-rich. The root system of this tree is quite shallow, dense, and composed of secondary roots bearing numerous rootlets. It is better to keep this beautiful birch away from the house, as strong winds could potentially uproot it, especially when it is in full leaf and the soil is very moist.
Betula ermanii 'Mount Zao Purple' is a very tolerant species in terms of soil, as long as it is not too dry. It does not tolerate coastal winds well. Its main attraction is its bark, but its moderate growth and slow growth are real assets for medium-sized gardens. However, it will stand out particularly well in winter! It can be highlighted isolated in the middle of a lawn, where one can enjoy its light shade. The Erman Birch also lends itself to superb winter compositions with other remarkable plants in winter, such as multicoloured bark Cornus or fragrant winter-flowering Hamamelis. It also allows provides contrasting colour combinations, for example when paired with black Ophiopogon, certain purple Hellebores, or the foliage of 'Black Lace' Elderberry in summer. Its autumn foliage will blend well with Nyssa sylvatica in acidic and moist soil, with deciduous Viburnums (Viburnum lantana, V. opulus, and their cultivars...) or Parrotia persica in drier, slightly chalky soil. It should be given a sunny location or partial shade to allow for easier growth.
Plant habit
Flowering
Foliage
Botanical data
Easy to grow in not too dry soil, even poor, slightly chalky or even clayey, the Erman's birch requires little maintenance, except for regular watering in case of prolonged drought. It is better planted in moist, humus-rich, fertile, not waterlogged soil to obtain beautiful foliage colourations, but it will also thrive in neutral to slightly chalky soil, in full sun or, at a pinch, in partial shade. Pruning is not necessary, and the plant is not very susceptible to diseases or parasites.
Planting period
Intended location
Care
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
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The flowering period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.)
It will vary according to where you live:
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands).
It will vary according to where you live:
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.