The Royal Frost� Birch is a striking specimen tree that has a bright white trunk and dark-purple leaves. The trunk stays white even when the tree is older, and the leaves keep their color well into the summer, before turning more bronze, and then yellow in fall. It grows rapidly, adding 3 feet a year when young, and reaches 30 or 40 feet tall and about 20 feet wide. Plant it as a showy specimen on a lawn or against a backdrop of plain-green trees. Grow it by water or on a rocky slope.
Striking rich-purple leaves hold their color well into the summer
Bold white bark makes a wonderful contrast, and stays white into maturity
Fast-growing tree to 40 feet tall
Ideal specimen tree for cooler parts of the country
Grows well in moist soils
Full sun gives the best foliage color with the Royal Frost� Birch, but it will grow well in light partial shade. It is completely hardy in zone 3 and grows best in areas with cooler summers. It should be grown in moist but well-drained soil, preferably neutral to acidic sandy soils or loams. Mulch well and water regularly, especially in summer and when young. If given some care it will be unlikely to be troubled by birch borer, and it has natural resistance to Japanese beetles. Deer don�t normally eat it.