Help with identifying this tree

karene

Hello. I have been "shopping the neighborhood" for a new tree for my front yard. I saw a tree that I think would be perfect. I forgot to take a photo of it, but did take a twig. The tree was about 15 years old (going by the neighborhood) 15 feet tall with a rounded full top. The trunk was light colored, smooth (almost looking barklesss) and somewhat slender.

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karene

Any ideas of what it may be? I live in southern California USA

Jeffrey Lovstrom

Crapemyrtle.
Jeff

karene

OMG! You are right!! I have one already, but I hadn't ever seen one this big before... (no wonder I liked it!)

Well, I guess that one is out. My second choice was a cluster of 3 silver birch trees. Any advice? Do they need to be trimmed yearly to keep them from looking sparse at the top? Are the roots a problem for foundations?

Thanks for any help.

Brent Ferris

Silver birch -- as in Paper Birch? (Betula papyrifera) grow just fine without trimming, and they don't usually like their roots disturbed. In Ontario, they like the soil between fresh and moist -- not wet, not dry. They generally live about 80 to 100 years, and grow to about 70 to 90 ft in height. The odd one lives to over 200, up to 3 feet in diameter, and about 100 ft tall -- or so.

Roots are seldom a problem for the foundation, unless the foundation has settled, cracking the wall, and letting water in, - then the roots will follow.

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