Subject: Birch tree in front of house - which one?

From: Mark Stephens <[email-masked]>
Date: 22 Mar 1995 17:49:05 GMT

(The news server seems to be having problems so this is a 
 repost.  Sorry for any duplicates.)

We are planning to purchase one of the following Birch trees to put
in our front yard:

Betula nigra (River Birch)
Betula nigra 'Heritage' (River Birch with improved bark?)
Betula maximowicziana 'Hybrid' (Monarch Birch)
Betula platyphylla 'Whitespire' (Whitespire Birch)

Does anyone have any experience with any of the trees?  I would
like to hear about pest problems, exposure, how many trunks,
how old, etc.

I have read a lot about the river birch in 'Native Trees, Shrubs,
and Vines for Urban and Rural America' - Hightshoe.  How do the 
other birches compare?  Is the Heritage cultivar of River Birch
better?

We live in Fairfield OH, a burb north of Cincinnati.  Zone 5 (-20)

Thanks!!
Mark Stephens - [email-masked]