GARDEN SCHOOL | BIRCH TREES
In the process of creating a garden on Mālkalns with walking trails and a space for exploring, a small birch grove was discovered.
Did you know that birch trees only grow in the Northern Hemisphere? They can be found in Europe and Asia, as far south as the Himalayas, as well as in North America. Birches are among the most common trees in Latvia. The main distinguishing feature of birch trees is their white to slightly yellowish trunk. Their leaves have toothed margins. In autumn, they usually turn yellow. A birch tree can live 80 to 300 years.
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BIRCH
Birches (betula) grow in wilderness in Europe, America and Asia, but only in the Northern Hemisphere. It is an easy tree to spot and recognise — because its trunk is white. But why? The white reflects light. Why then is it needed in the north, where sunlight is already scarce? Scientists are still debating about this, but it is possible that the birch cools more slowly and protects itself from rapid changes in temperature between day and night. We can only admire the wisdom of this tree.
Being a true northerner, the birch likes to bask in the sun.
A birch tree can live for quite a long time — up to 300 years.
There are two types of them — the silver birch, or warty birch, and the downy birch. This tree gives us everything. Birch fire wood. Birch bark. Birch twigs. Birch sap. And it doesn’t stop there — the birch has always fulfilled our aesthetic needs, too. “Oh, the luscious birch tree”, (Bērziņ, tavu kuplumiņu!) goes the Latvian folk song. Our painters have brought birches to museums and poets — to libraries.
Contact informationZiedonis Garden on Mālkalns-Hill, Tukums |
Working timeJanuary - December |
