Struggling with Silver Birch — would appreciate advice

I want to be honest: I'm not getting great results with Silver Birch and I'm not entirely sure why. root encroachment near drains or house foundations has been a recurring problem despite my attempts to address it. I've been focusing on keeping a mulch-free collar immediately around the trunk based on everything I've read.

exceptional seasonal spectacle from blossom through autumn colour is there in glimpses, which tells me the plant has potential in my conditions. I have it in a small garden with a compact or columnar variety chosen for scale which might not be ideal. blossom or leaf burst in spring creating dramatic transformation showed some improvement. Two stars for now — not the plant's fault, but not a success yet. I'll update if things improve.