Winter sunset illuminates a stand of white birches. These trees rise more than ninety feet. The rhododendrons in the foreground are about fifteen feet tall. Birches are a messy tree, but have beautiful bark under many different light conditions. We let the neighbors grow these. (See "Borrowing Neighborhood Views" in the TIPS section.)

A neighbor across the street had a smaller white birch he wanted removed. I cut it down and made a bench out of it to go with the view of the above trees.

White birch can be a beautiful tree, but is a poor companion for rhododendrons because of its invasive roots. We solved the problem by incorporating neighbors' trees into the garden design. These huge trees are about 200 feet outside the garden.