What’s all this about britches?

Under the spell of nurseries, with their seductive beauties on display in burlap bags and plastic pots, gardeners will seize any excuse to break ground again.

Moving to a house on Birch Street undeniably suggested a particular nursery splurge, and it turned out that birches, with their preference for dampness, are perfect for a yard that collects runoff.

At first the three birches coexisted happily with a purple plum tree, but as they reached higher for the sun, they put it in the shade, inviting a plant disease that killed the plum. One birch died mysteriously, but the two others got their way on Birch Street.