The Beauty of Trees with Remarkable Bark
Choose Woody Plants with Attractive Bark for Year Round Interest
Nov 15, 2009
If you only have room in the garden for one or two trees then choose wisely. Don't be seduced by the temporary floral display of, say, Prunus 'Kanzan'. Think what it will look like without make-up, for the other fifty weeks of the year. Flowers may come and flowers may go, but bark goes on for, well, the life-time of the tree. Its function is to protect the sensitive growth tissue beneath. In many cases, however, bark is highly decorative.
As the girth of trees trunks and branches expand with age the bark often cracks or peels. Peeling, or bark sloping, as it is known results in patterns, textures and hues of ornamental interest and beauty.
A Selection of Trees with Ornamental Bark
- Betula utilis var jacquemontii (The Western Himalayan Birch) is one of the most striking small to medium sized trees popular for the white bark of its stems and branches. As a bonus its leaves turn yellow in autumn. The aptly named selection 'Grayswood Ghost' looks stunningly eerie in the low winter sun. Some people go so far as to clean the trunk with soapy water to keep it in pristine condition.
- Acer griseum (The Chinese paperbark maple) has crinkly, peeling, orange-brown bark and dark green leaves that go orange and red in autumn. Eventually reaching 10 metres it makes an excellent specimen tree when given pride of place on a large lawn.
- Acer davidii (David's maple) gets to 15 metres. The cultivar 'Ernest Wilson' attains a more manageable 10 metres. The young bark is coral red, but later turns green with white streaks.
- Acer rufinerve is another snake bark maple giving double value on account of its vertically white striped bark and foliage which turns orange and crimson prior to leaf fall.
- Arbutus unedo commonly known as the strawberry tree, because of its warty red fruits in autumn, develops the most wonderful rough, shredding red-brown bark. This evergreen is ideal in a large shrub border or as a specimen tree.
- Eucalyptus pauciflora niphophila (The snow gum) has bark which flakes to form a patchwork of grey, cream and green. Hard pruning each spring produces juvenile grey-green foliage much admired by flower arrangers, but this practice prevents the production of the amazing bark which you get on the older branches and trunk.
- Prunus maakii (The Manchurian bird cherry) covers its trunk and limbs with yellowish-brown or amber bark which peels in bands.
- Prunus serrula (The Tibetan cherry) provides the ultimate bark experience. Its mahogany-red polished bark which peels horizontally is irresistible, you simply can't resist stroking it.
Position Your Trees with Attractive Bark for Maximum Impact
Place trees with ornamental bark in a sunny position so that they catch the winter sun and their trunks and branches will really glow. Where possible position these trees where you can see their full splendour from as many angles as possible.
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