Underplanting Silver Birch trees

Guernsey Donkey2

Suggestions for wildlife friendly, native shrubs or small trees to plant under 3 x potentially 10 - 15 metre tall silver birch trees please. At the moment the trees are saplings,  just a couple of metres tall. The space we have between them is 4 - 5 metres wide, and I feel that a slim plant between each tree would in time help to fill the gap between each tree. At the moment I have some privet or oleria hedging going spare, and I would appreciate more interesting and colourful suggestions. Thanks

Lizzie27

Are the birches planted in a line or as a triangle @Guernsey Donkey2 ? I  think birches look more pleasing without any other plants nearby so you can appreciate the beauty of their trunks.  However if these are part of your long time screening project from the newbuilds the other side of your field, I understand where you are coming from. What about hollies, rowans or buddleia?

Silver surfer

See winter pics from Anglesey Abbey and the birch trees there.
Also Hilliers winter garden for ideas.

https://www.google.com/search?q=anglesey+abbey+silver+birch+trees&client=firefox-b-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWuNnfoZLlAhUvVBUIHWqQDy8Q_AUIESgB&biw=1920&bih=944

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&biw=1920&bih=944&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=PHGfXdrONuuugweuh4yQDg&q=hilliers+winter+garden&oq=hilliers+winter+garden&gs_l=img.12...2856.18488..20924...0.0..0.106.3832.38j4......0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0i24j0j0i67j0i30j0i5i30.9KtTZbHXf1w&ved=0ahUKEwja3P2sopLlAhVr1-AKHa4DA-IQ4dUDCAY

Loxley

I like this one 

Ruscus aculeatus and miscanthus (you could substitute Deschampsia cespitosa if you want a UK native).

I think a simple mat of Polypodium vulgare with the occasional Helleborus foetidus would look nice.

But you want taller things to fill in the gaps... How about Euonymus europaeus or purple hazel?

BenCotto

My stand of silver birches is simply under planted with rough grass in which some of the more attractive and better behaved wild flowers are allowed to colonise, and in spring there are numerous snowdrops, narcissus actaea and then English bluebells.

Guernsey Donkey2

I agree @Lizzie27 that silver birches look better when grouped in threes, we are planning to plant three of them in a line with gaps between for something like a large shrub or small tree..  These silver birch will help to blot out the windows in time (not our time).  In the meantime we like the idea of the purple hazel Coryus maxima @WillDB. Thanks for all your helpful comments.

BenCotto

Here are our silver birches showing the simplicity of just using grass for underplanting

Guernsey Donkey2

What a beautiful setting @BenCotto, they are such serene trees, and ideal here.  Our silver birch are going to be used as a screen, here in your garden they are a feature to be proud of.

Loxley

If you are brave you can coppice your birches and train them as multistems, which may suit your screening requirements better (in time).

Guernsey Donkey2

That's a brilliant idea @WillDB .  I will make a mental note to do that (in time).  We will be putting a screen of goat willow behind the trees, just in front of the stock fencing we have had put up recently.  I also have a few rooted Buddleia shrubs, which will add colour in the summer but don't grow particularly tall here.

Obelixx

Silver birch are shallow rooted and that will make life very difficult for shrubs as the trees mature.   I would stick to some cheerful spring daffs that you can get established now and will spread and maybe some ground cover that likes dry shade such as epimediums which also flower in spring but have lovely foliage later on thru which you could grow autumn crocuses.

I would be very wary of planting goat willow.  It is a very unattractive plant with thuggish tendencies and you'll be forever trimming it and digging up seedlings and saplings.    Try something better behaved and ornamental too for a screen you'll like and that is useful to wildlife too.

I would urge you to look at using builders' metal mesh for reinforcing concrete to create a cheap, unobtrusive boundary.  Support it on sturdy posts with their feet in concrete and then train spiky plants such as pyracantha along it.  It's evergreen, has blossom for nectar and colour in spring, berries for colour and birds in autumn.   Berries can be yellow, orange or red depending on variety and it's a cheap plant to buy too.  The spiky thorns will deter unwanted intruders from the other side if you're worried about marauding children.  Add a couple of dog roses or other ramblers such as Kiftsgate, Rambling Rector or Wedding Day and you'll have flowers in early summer too followed by lovely hips - and more anti-intruder thorns.