Betula Nigra

I obtained this river birch from a big box store in spring 2006 for $10 US in spring 2006. I set it into a large wooden box, set it in a bare spot of the courtyard at home and left it alone. In spring 2008 I cut the main trunk back, allowing a thin branch to take over as the leader. I also potted it into a smaller plastic box closer to the size of a training pot.

2008

This spring I decided to go ahead and cut out the dead stump a bit to clean it up. I also cut back the leader and clipped the existing branches a bit. My hope is that I can start developing the branches now. I'm not sure I'm going for any strict style. Will try to develop a sketch of a plan.

2009