Cultivars include Flame, Embers and Compactum. It is similar to Amur maple above, but tolerates alkaline soils better. They are attractive contrast with the green foliage. While usually shrubby, it can be pruned to form a singlestem tree. Alders form interesting cone-like fruits that persist through winter.
Alders prefer moist sites.
Some are more shrubby, others are small trees. All have attractive white flowers in April-May, edible blue fruit, and attractive fall foliage color, ranging from yellows to scarlet. Cultivars include Autumn Brilliance, Cole, Cumulus, Regent, Robin Hill and Princess Diana. This birch is resistant to bronze birch borer damage, a frequent problem on some other birches. It prefers acidic to neutral soil and tolerates wet, poorly drained soil.