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Betula pendula 'Karaca', is an extraordinary dwarf form of the weeping birch. Graceful, airy, and elegant are the words that spring to mind when you see its light weeping habit and its laciniate, almost transparent foliage. A little ghostly, this small deciduous tree looks like a Japanese maple but is much easier to grow. It will be very beautiful feature when placed prominently in a small Japanese or romantic-style garden. Its small size also makes it suitable for growing in containers.

'Karaca' stands out because of its small size and its leaves which are particularly fine and deeply divided into thread-like segments.

This 'Karaca' weeping birch will reach approximately 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in height and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in spread by the age of 15. The trunk (sometimes multiple) supports an irregular, airy canopy of trailing branches. With time, the bark on the trunks or older branches becomes almost black, very rough in texture, and develops deep cracks. The reddish-brown branchlets have white wart-like lenticels. The deciduous foliage is light green and turns yellow in the autumn before falling. At this point, the Karaca birch looks like it has a fine head of blond hair. The inconspicuous flowers appear in March-April in the form of greenish-yellow catkins.

The 'Karaca' Weeping Birch is a very hardy tree that is resistant to diseases. It tolerates all types of soil, as long as it is not too dry and not too chalky, and requires a sunny or semi-shaded exposure. It looks great as a free-standing specimen, but also in a shrub bed with other plants chosen for their decorative foliage or bark, such as the Paperbark Maple, large ferns, a Black Lace Elder, or a Purple Hazel. There is no shortage of ideas for combinations, depending on the individual taste of the gardener: with Japanese maples, sacred bamboo, etc.

Plant habit

Height at maturity
3 m
Spread at maturity
2 m
Habit
weeping
Growth rate
slow
Flowering

Flower colour
insignificant
Flowering time
March to April
Flower size
1 cm
Bee-friendly
Attracts pollinators
Foliage

Foliage persistence
Deciduous
Foliage colour
green

Planting and care
The Karaca Weeping Birch requires little maintenance and does not need pruning. It is best planted in slightly damp (or at least not too dry in summer), low-alkaline, humus-rich, slightly acidic soil to produce its attractive foliage; it will also thrive in neutral to slightly chalky soil, in sun or part-shade. It tolerates clay, loam, sand, peat and nutrient-poor soils well. This tree produces numerous superficial roots that can hinder the establishment of other plants under its canopy, by drying out and impoverishing the soil. It does not tolerate sea spray.