Winter shapes, colors and textures

Flower & Garden Magazine, Nov-Dec, 1998 by Molly Dean

Winter is a time when understated details come to the foreground, and we often discover a certain elegance and poetry in sparseness. Because there are fewer garden chores, we can settle back and appreciate the small things of life such as the intricate pattern of notches on cherry bark or the graceful asymmetrical form of a dogwood tree silhouetted against a winter sky. Old withered flowers, like the faded brown blossoms of hydrangeas, linger on the plant, providing a somber beauty inviting one to touch their crisp, papery florets.

ELEGANT ETCHINGS

Now that the leafy covering of summer and fall has disappeared, tree barks in themselves become fascinating and distinctive. Some, like that of mature Chinese elms, resemble jigsaw puzzles. The rich-hued barks of cherry trees gleam like silk, and the deeply checkered texture of dogwood barks brings to mind alligator hide. The smooth, silvery bark of the American beech invites a friendly touch -- and I could swear that there were hieroglyphics etched into our gnarled old peach tree. Some barks like those of the black birch and the sassafras are fragrant: black or sweet birch bark smells like wintergreen and is used to make birch beer. The root bark of sassafras can be boiled to make tea -- or its oil used to flavor candies and perfume soaps. Even the relatively ordinary bark of many pines is beautiful, the trunks lending subtle grays, rusts or even a faded lavender to the winter landscape. The bark of the Scotch pine is bright orange, and that of the Chinese lace-bark pine (Pinus Bungeana) flakes to expose a creamy inner layer, giving an ornamental splotchy effect.

Some trees have such distinctive and beautiful barks that they might be grown purely to display their craggy skins, lending special interest to winter gardens. Birches have such bark -- from the flaking chalky-white of the paper birch (Betula papyrifera), to the silver tones of the yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis). Among the most ornamental of all birches is the river birch (B. nigra). This tree is a study of colors and texture with its curling, exfoliating, paper-thin bark in an array of warm-toned hues from pale flesh tones to a rich cinnamon brown. River birches are also more borer-resistant than other birches. These trees, with their multibranching trunks, etch elegant lines in the landscape. The small oval leaves appear early in spring and brighten to clear yellow in autumn and then fall swiftly. Dangling catkins linger, though, providing interest throughout the winter. River birches are native to low moist places; therefore, these trees require plenty of water. The cultivar `Heritage' is more heat-and cold-resistant than the species and grows to about 50 feet tall in Zones 4-9.

One of the barks most picturesque against snow belongs to the Amur cherry (Prunus maackii); the sheen of this bark is almost metallic and it has a rich, dark mahogany brown color. The bark also has a banded, concentric look, due to the pattern of its exfoliation. The Amur cherry, a native of Korea and Manchuria, bears racemes of delicate snowy flowers, followed by small black berries much enjoyed by birds. This tree is one of the most cold-hardy of all cherries and can be grown as far north as Zone 2. Good growing conditions include rich, well-drained soil and plenty of sun.

The Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) also has fascinating bark with small irregular patterns of reddish brown, pale green and silver. With age, the trunk of this tree acquires a graceful "fluted" look. Lines of these elms give a stately, cathedral-like ambiance. This is especially true of the cultivar `Allee' which can soar to 75 feet. Chinese elms also echo the classic vase form of the vanishing Amer-ican elm and are often grown as a substitute. Main requirements of this easy-to-grow tree are plenty of room, well-drained soil and full sun or partial shade.

One of my favorite barks belongs to the crape myrtle, one of the most colorful shrubs of southern gardens. In the summer, the crinkly clusters of vivid rose, white or lavender flowers keep you from noticing this bark. In winter, however, the thin, smooth-textured bark with its curious exfoliating patterns of pink under gray gives a startling fascination to a winter landscape. Certain hydrangeas, like the climbing hydrangea (H. anomulu petiolaris) and the oakleaf hydrangea (H. quercifolia) also provide multiseasonal beauty: both have showy flowers and handsome, warm-toned, exfoliating bark.

Some trees and shrubs have vivid single colors in their bark such as the yellow of the yellow-twigged dogwood (Cornus sericea `Flaviramea') and the green of Kerria japonica. Crimson is highlighted in the Siberian dogwood and fiery orange-red in the coral embers willow (Salix vitellina). Let these dazzle against snow or a dark backdrop of conifers. The strong vertical manner of growth of the coral embers willow brings to mind other important plant characteristics which become even more important in winter -- the design elements line and form.