Crimson Frost Birch
Betula 'Crimson Frost'

It wasn’t all that long ago that northerners looking for a dominant purple-leaved accent tree for their landscapes had only a couple of options from which to choose; a Crimson King maple or maybe a Shubert Chokecherry, and that was about all. Now, recent hybridizing efforts have opened up new alternatives for northern landscapers, and this month, we’re going to tell you about one of the very best.

Birch has always been a favorite accent tree of northern landscapers, with its papery-white exfoliating bark, delicate reddish branches and refined growth habit. Now picture all of this in a birch tree, but with rich crimson-purple foliage all season long! This is exactly what the new Crimson Frost birch brings to the northern landscape, and more!

Crimson Frost birch is a hybrid between the older Purple Rain birch (Betula pendula “Purple Rain”) and the Japanese white birch of “Whitespire” fame (Betula platyphylla var. japonica). It’s rich foliage color is actually a slight improvement over the Purple Rain birch and it has a much more refined, narrowly upright shape, but it’s real improvement is its dramatically increased resistance to the dreaded bronze birch borer, which is a real problem with varieties of Betula pendula, and especially Purple Rain.

This tree is a true accent tree, and should only be used as such; in other words, as a solitary either standing alone or in a garden setting surrounded by complementary-colored plants (yellows look particularly stunning below!). Be mindful of its pronounced attributes – its purple leaves, its very upright spire-like shape and its highly ornamental bark – and use it where these can be highlighted to their fullest effect. Like all birches, it enjoys moist to wet soils, preferably looser and slightly acidic if possible, but it is quite tolerant of various growing conditions. It does need full sun for best growth and to hold its color.

Click here to read more details on this plant in the Landscape Plant Search resource.