How big will a betula utilis (jacq) grow and should we move it away from the house

Hi Maria and welcome to GoY. If your Betulas are already 2 metres tall then they were planted as established trees as they take several years to grow to this height. Eventually all three will reach something in the region of 15 - 20 metres so I would definitely want to move the one nearest to the house. If you know, or can find out, who did the landscaping it might be wise to get them to come back to move the tree. To be honest I am surprised any landscaping gardening company would plant a tree of this size so close to the house.

I was tempted to say cut it down but I believe that Betula utilis can cost nearly £100 each - whoops. Probaly worth having the tree moved proffesionaly.

Minimum distance from a house for a tree should be 30 feet, preferably more - it may be that the intention was to keep the trees small by constant pruning of the crown - this would restrict the root spread. It's one of those designer tricks.... but not one I'd ever use!

One of the tree nursery websites has an image of three of these birches planted as a grouping - I suspect the landscaper decided to copy this not thinking of the problems it would create down the line. I truly respect you as a knowledgeable garden designer Bamboo and I have a good friend who is also such but, she herself says that there are folk who do a basic landscaping course and then set themselves up in business with little real knowledge.

Tell me about it - when I was taking up training, I looked at design courses and was put right off - didn't give you the scientific side of things, which I wanted, and struck me more as a fancy arty architect type thing than what I call real gardening. Compounded by one of the lecturers telling me that, as I had a double barrelled surname, I'd a good chance of getting on the design course...

Compounded by one of the lecturers telling me that, as I had a double barrelled surname, I'd a good chance of getting on the design course...

That says it all really Bamboo...

Yup - didn't do it, needless to say, went for the RHS Horticulture one instead.

Good move