Betula albosinensis Blason Minrouge - Chinese Red Birch

Betula albosinensis Blason 'Minrouge' is a lovely French selection selected in the new millennium. This small tree with a pyramidal habit comes from the Chinese Birch, famous for the beauty of its bark. This variety has good vigour and a less significant growth than its parent. Its main asset remains its magnificent bark, painted with a shiny red that plays beautifully with the low winter light. The trunk and branches peel, giving way to a new, lighter, more pinkish bark speckled with white. The deciduous foliage takes on a beautiful golden hue in autumn before falling. It can be planted on its own on a lawn or in front of a large grove of deciduous or evergreen trees, in full light.

The Chinese Birch is a deciduous tree native to the clear mountain forests located in western China, growing at altitudes between 2000 and 4000m. The habit of this species, which can reach heights of up to 10-12m in nature, is clearly pyramidal and quite broad.

The cultivar 'Blason Minrouge' was selected by Christian Peyron in the Bois Marquis park, in Isère. Due to its relatively slow growth, it will reach a height of 8m and spread over 4 to 5m after many years. At the age of 10, it will reach approximately 4m in height and 3m in width. Its pyramidal and spreading crown, consists of numerous thin and flexible branches covered with a brilliant red-pink-orange bark. The rather short trunk is covered with a magnificent carmine-red bark that peels off in long flakes. Its ovoid to triangular leaves are dark green, smooth on the upper surface and hairy and glandular on the lower. The leaf is bordered by double teeth. The leaves turn golden yellow in autumn. The inflorescences appear in April in the form of pendulous catkins of a greenish yellow colour. The root system of this tree is quite shallow, dense, and composed of secondary roots carrying numerous rootlets. It would be better to keep this beautiful birch away from the house, as strong winds could potentially uproot it, especially when it is heavily leafed and the soil is very moist.

The Chinese Birch is a very tolerant species in terms of soil, as long as it is not too dry. Its main attraction is its bark, but its moderate development and slow growth are real assets for medium-sized, or even small gardens. However, it is in winter that it will stand out the most! It lends itself to superb associations with other remarkable plants in winter, such as multicoloured Dogwoods or fragrant winter-flowering Witch Hazels. It also allows for contrasting colour combinations, for example when paired with black Ophiopogons, certain purple Hellebores, or the foliage of 'Black Lace' Elderberry in summer. Its autumn foliage will blend well with that of Nyssa sylvatica in acidic and moist soil, with deciduous Viburnums (Viburnum lantana, V. opulus, and their cultivars...), or with Parrotia persica in drier, slightly calcareous soil.