The York Guardian

However, let's dwell on the positive. One uplifting perspective is that winter gives us some essential time to look at our garden and reflect. What worked well in the garden this year? What plant was invading our garden and transforming our once peaceful landscape into a battle zone? There are lots of issues to consider and to evaluate for the coming spring. Unusual bark gives the winter garden a second glance, especially against a picturesque white background. Although we usually don't pay attention to the bark of trees during the summer, without the leaves on our deciduous trees, the bark can make a strong statement in the winter landscape.

Typically, the bark reveals its true beauty and character when the tree is about 10 years old. Don't fret about the wait time because when you buy the tree at the nursery, it may already be four years or older. The following trees develop attractive bark and can be a welcome feature in your winter garden: paperbark maple, Chinese flowering dogwood and the Japanese tree lilac.

If there is one tree that I recognize solely by the beauty of the bark it is the paperbark maple (Acer griseum). This is the most unique and ornamental of all the smaller maple trees. The shaggy cinnamon-coloured bark curls up in tiny strips like ribbon on top of a present. It can be seen as a single trunk tree or in a clump with multiple trunks - both are beautiful. The only drawback is that this tree is marginally hardy to zone six and requires a sheltered location away from strong winds.

Chinese flowering dogwood (Cornus kousa chinensis) is a memorable focal point in the garden and is one of my favourite small trees (sometimes considered a large, multi-stem shrub). Most remarkable is its exfoliating bark with a mottled blend of grey, tan and brown splotches in a random pattern. The best time to transplant this type of dogwood is in the spring in a part sun location. Vase-shaped when it is young, as it matures it develops an oval shape with distinct horizontal branching.

One of the best street trees for your front landscape is the Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata). My favourite cultivar is 'Ivory Silk' reaching twenty to thirty feet tall at maturity. The Japanese tree lilac is tolerant of urban conditions and one of the hardiest types of lilac. The colourful reddish-brown bark marked with white horizontal lenticels makes this tree remarkable in the winter landscape. Plant this lilac in odd-numbered groupings (one, three, five) for best effects, spaced about 10 to 15 feet apart.

If there is only one tree that I could purchase for my property, I would select one that flowers, exhibits colourful fall foliage and has some sort of winter interest: textured bark, berries, or even colourful twigs. Bark textures ignite your winter garden with flair and character! In order to really appreciate your garden, use your visual and tactile senses to their fullest. Enjoy the peaceful winter scenery and notice the various textures of the tree bark in your garden.

Marilyn Pomer is a landscape designer for Greenescape Designs Inc. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail Marilyn at marilyn@greenescape.ca.