I tried again in 2013 with three little saplings from Forestfarm. Two survived the first year, but in 2014 I had to move one from a shady location under the maples on the hill out into the sunnier meadow.
It is open and slender from being in too much shade. It seemed to like its new space better and got a little leafier by the end of summer.
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| 9/24/14 |
The other one is at the base of the hill, near the sassafras saplings. It too is slender and twiggy so far.
Sweet birch has shiny bark with horizontal lenticels that make it look like a cherry tree. Sometimes this is called cherry birch.
The inner bark of twigs is supposed to taste of wintergreen. And birch beer is made from the sap of tapped sweet birches in spring.
2015: continuing to have trouble getting sweet birch to grow for me. The one twiggy sapling that is at the edge of the back hill is doing okay.
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| 7/3/15 |
But the little twig in the meadow gave up.
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| 7/8/15 |
I may never get to see a large, mature sweet birch.
