The weeping birch tree is a variety of the European white birch. The white birch is a member of the Betulaceae family of birch; these are often used as ornamental trees in gardens.

The average life expectancy of a healthy weeping birch tree is between 40 and 50 years. Unfortunately, it is common for trees planted for ornamental purposes to die after less than 20 years.

Some of the most common diseases affecting trees in the birch family are fungal, such as rust and leaf spot. These diseases thrive in moist conditions where rain splashes the tree and leaves are left around the base of the trunk.

The weeping birch tree is commonly affected by two pests, the birch leafminer and the bronze birch borer.

The birch leafminer is a term covering a variety of larvae laid in the leaves of a birch tree; the term covers insects such as the moth and the beetle. The leafminer is not usually a deadly infestation.

The bronze birch borer is a beetle that commonly attacks weak trees that have been infected by leafminers. The symptoms of the birch borer are usually sparse foliage followed by the death of twigs and branches.