Bark to basics

by Adrienne Wild 6/01/2008

Many trees and shrubs are at their best in winter.  Stripped of foliage, striking features such as delicate traceries of twigs and beautifully-patterned barks can stand out. Here are some irresistible examples to check out..

Dogwood
Stoke up the fading embers of your garden with dogwoods. The fiery-coloured stems of Cornus Midwinter Fire are revealed when stripped of its orange-yellow autumn livery and will light up borders for up to four months. The plants are frost-hardy and thrive in moist soils, sun and semi-shade.
GOOD IDEA: Plant a bold group in a sunny border and cut back hard in spring to encourage plenty of colourful growth.
HOW MUCH? From £1.99 from Buckingham Nurseries (01280 822133, www.buckingham-nurseries.co.uk).

Betula
Birches are the ultimate trees for winter and the white, salmon, tan or cream bark is unsurpassable. For their dazzling white stems you can’t beat Betula jacquemontii, which looks glorious against autumn or evergreen colours.
GOOD IDEA: Place it artfully so that the ghostly white bark catches the setting sun and as the tree matures thin out  lower branches to expose more of the trunk.
HOW MUCH? £9.50 from garden centres, or trees with 8cm-10cm girth for £108 and multi-stemmed plants for £172 from King & Co Tree Nursery (01376 340469, www.kingko.co.uk).

Snake bark
If you have a taste for the unusual, check out the snake-bark maples, which have silvery-green striations on their trunks reminiscent of a snake. Acer capillipes and Acer grosseri are ideal for a small garden and have stunning autumn colour.
GOOD IDEA: Consider buying a fairly large specimen to enjoy bark sooner rather than later.
HOW MUCH? £9.50 from The Duchy of Cornwall Nursery (01208 872668, www.duchyofcornwall nursery.co.uk).

Cherry
The Tibetan cherry, Prunus serrula, is well worth growing for its bark alone, which is so appealing you’ll want to touch it. The new bark looks like polished reddish-brown mahogany and as it ages it begins to peel, so find time to strip off the flaky layers to reveal the glossy new ones underneath.
GOOD IDEA: Grow it as a specimen in a spot that receives lots of winter sunshine or, if you have the space, as an avenue.
HOW MUCH? £32.95 from Crocus (0870 787 1413, www.crocus.co.uk).

Eucalyptus
THE fast-growing and evergreen silvery foliage of the Snow Gum, Eucalyptus pauciflora, with its peeling green grey and cream bark like a python’s skin, make it sound ideal. However, it isn’t best suited for small gardens, especially those with shallow soils, as it’s a thirsty plant.
GOOD IDEA: Its spreading habit and reflective shimmering trunk make it a good lawn specimen.
HOW MUCH? £8 from Burncoose Nursery (01209 860316, www.burncoose.co.uk).

Rubus
The ghost bramble, planted with heathers, is a must-have in winter. One of the best, the Rubus cockburnianus Goldenvale, has purple stems with a waxy-white bloom and yellow foliage in summer.
GOOD IDEA: It thrives in any soil in sun but control its spread by chopping out runners.
HOW MUCH? £4 from Dulford Nurseries (01884 266361, www.dulford-nurseries.co.uk).

Arbutus
Even if the winter flowers which appear with the strawberry-like fruits of the evergreen Arbutus x andrachnoides don’t catch your eye, then the cinnamon-red bark will do. It’s a good choice for a focal point in a Mediterranean scheme. 
GOOD IDEA: Find it a sheltered spot in dappled shade.  It prefers acid soil but will tolerate lime.
HOW MUCH? £10.75 from Architectural Plants (01403 891772, www.architecturalplants.com).

Bamboo
Tall, graceful and tough, the bamboo Phyllostachys bissetti, which has beautiful green canes, is one of the most striking. If unattended it grows into a thicket that’s difficult to penetrate – ideal for security – or prune it to any height.
GOOD IDEA: Plant where the breeze will stir the leaves and occasionally thin out the old stems to allow the sun to illuminate the clump.
HOW MUCH? 6ft plant £29.99 from Silk Tree Nursery (07880 590926, www.silktree.co.uk).

Paperbark
One of the most interesting small trees is Acer griseum or paperbark maple, which not only has an outstanding shape and gorgeous autumn shades of crimson and scarlet, but ginger-red peeling bark, which hangs in papery thin sheets.
GOOD IDEA: Plant it where the light will shine through the papery film.
HOW MUCH?  £37.60 from The Tree Shop (01452 832100, www.tree-shop.co.uk).