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I found this growing in one of my pots 3 years ago.  It is now 6' high and has the appearance of a sapling.  The bark is smooth with little creamy white dots.  It's not particularly attractive but I hate killing anything!  Any ideas anyone?

G xx

Hornbeam?

Could be, Eric.  I've just looked it up and I gather it has catkins?  Now, a neighbour a couple of doors down has a tree which I know has catkins.  I'd always thought it was an aspen but if it is a hornbeam that would make sense, wouldn't it?  How long do I have to wait for catkins?

G xx

Did the leaves fall off in Winter or did they stay brown on the tree and only go when the new leaves pushed them off? That is how Hornbeam behaves. Catkins if it is? till the tree is mature, no idea how long.

Oh no, all the leaves fell off in October.  So it's not a hornbeam then?

G xx

It usually keeps its leaves over Winter as a beech does. How about a hazel then?

Hmmm, could be, and that would be nice.  I'm hopeless at identifying trees.   :-[

G xx

It looks like a silver birch to me (betula pendula

I think you're right. It looked very familiar but I couldn't quite place it.

 :) Definately a Silver Birch I get lots of self seeders like that as I have a huge tree  . :) They will pop up every where. >:( Nice trees to look at, very relaxing in their movement. :) just keep it small  ??? :)

Silver Birch?  I agree the leaf is right but the bark is all wrong.  Or do they only get their distinctive peeling stuff when they are older?

I've got it in a pot about 15" high and 15" deep at the mo.  Can I keep it in a pot?  If not, and I put it in the ground - and I have no idea where I would do that in my small plot - how far away from the house does it need to be?

G xx

Small ones have very undistinguished-looking bark.

Silver Birch has my vote too.  I love them and wish I had a garden big enough so will be interested if can be pot grown.

It`s definitely a birch, but not necessarily a silver birch, since there are several varieties of birch - some native and some imported.  The silver birch and the downy birch will hybridise freely and it is sometimes difficult to tell which is which.

Assuming that it is either a silver or a downy birch it can eventually reach a height of 80 feet, and in clay soils the roots of a good sized tree can cause structural damage 40 ft or more away.

When I was a boy (a long time ago) we referred to it as `50 years growing; 50 years dying`.  In fact few birches last this long. being made unsafe by fungus diseases by the time they are 70, but I once cut one down that was 95 years old.

It is a fairly fast grower, and not really a good subject for a pot as there would be insufficient root run to provide proper anchorage in windy weather.  However, it can be coppiced regularly - as indeed whole birch woods used to be to provide the wood for cotton reels for the Lancashire mills.

I would add that for hay fever sufferers, birch pollen is highly allergenic, probably second only to my bete noir - oil seed rape.

Thanks for the info, Kepourus.  There is no way I can plant this tree 40' away from the house.   :(

Doe anyone want a 6' Birch tree?

G xx

How about restricting its roots like you would for a mint contain them at least you could grow it on for a few years this way?

Well, I could I suppose but I'd prefer it to grow naturally if possible.  I'm a member of a local preservation society so I've emailed the trees group to see if anyone can find it a good home.  Shame to lose it but I suspect it will be much happier in open ground.

G xx

If you want to plant it out but also restrict its growth, you can now get special planting bags impregnated with copper, Plant roots dont seem to like copper so this stops the roots going mad.

No Idea what they are called though or where to get them from. Sorry!