Bark With Bite: How to Utilize Tree Bark in a Garden Design

Year-round interest takes on a whole new meaning when you have colorful trunks and stems in your design

Inmy younger years , when my foresightful story of tell mute things was in a variety of golden age , I pronounce something to the event of,“Why would anyone be concerned in atree ? All you see of it is the trunk . ” I have n’t learned much since then , but I have amount to understand the many charmstreeshave to tender , not the least of which is that trunk of which I was so dismissive .

Colorful anduniquebark and stems are as worthful an cosmetic plus as any flush or leaf . The artful comprehension of these elements into your garden is a perfect way to elevate your garden from a merebackyardplanting to a work of artwork . If you think your garden could use more barque , then here are some options for you .

Paperbark Maple

Acer griseum

If you live in the Northeast , when you think of maples you might think of fall color , syrup , those little eggbeater seed seedcase that are fun to play with , and the uncountable figure of spring seedling they make . But the genusAceris home to legion species with great - looking bark . The good ispaperbark maple . Everyone who sees it falls in love with the cinnamon - colored strip of flake barque this Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree offers . Also impressive is the fall colour , when the foliage work shades of yellow , red , and orange . Paperbark maple is tough once established , and it give rise few , if any , executable seeds , so it wo n’t impart to your list of fountain chore .

USDA Hardiness Zones:4 to 8

Size:20 to 30 feet tall and 15 to 25 feet encompassing

condition : Full sun to partial shade ; well - drained soil

Striped Maple

Acer pensylvanicumand cvs.

For a native option in maples , look forstriped maple . Its natural habitat is a forest understory in the easterly portion of the United States , which open you a cue to the conditions it needs : partial to full shade and cool , acid soil . furnish that , and you will have the pleasance of the white striped bark of this tree ’s ramification . A scarlet - branched cultivar , ‘ Erythrocladum ’ , is even more exciting , but propagation is difficult , so it can be hard to find . A downside of denude maple is that it will almost assuredly be visited by any number of critters from hare up to deer and even moose ( moosewood is another vernacular name ) . If you are tempted to imbed striped maple in the hopes of pull a elk to your garden , just think of that is the kind of affair that sounds like a cool idea until it really happens .

Zones:3 to 7

Size:15 to 20 feet magniloquent and wide-eyed

weather : fond to full shade ; cool , acidic , well - drained soil

Paperbark Cherry

Prunus serrula

interchangeable in appearance to paperbark maple ispaperbark cherry tree . It has a similar peeling barque in shades of reddish brown , cinnamon , and bull - brown , but the barque add up a smooth shine that makes this tree hard to balk grovel over . Small spring bloom and minute leaves vie for attending in their clock time , but nothing can take your eye off that barque for farseeing .

Zones:5 to 7

Madrone

Arbutus menziesii

If coppery brown barque accommodate your fancy , but you would care something better suited to the warm , dry condition of theWest Coasttrymadrone . This tree diagram ’s native range running from British Columbia into California . As the tree age , its bark grows bland and the leg arch and sophisticate gracefully . The long white panicle that appear in bounce impressment some but not others . The red berry that follow , however , are a definite favorite of the local birds . Make indisputable you place your madrone well : It does not like to be moved and is unlikely to survive if you try .

Zones:7 to 10

Size:20 to 35 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet broad

White-Barked Himalayan Birch

Betula utilisvar.jacqumontii

For a tree that is gruelling to miss on the drab day that can chevvy us from tardy fall to early spring , look towhite - barked Himalayan birch . The bark of this tree is an unforgettable albumen that will go on to daze even after the garden wakes up again in spring . As its name suggests , white - barked Himalayan birch tree is native to nerveless mountainsides . allow for a cool base zone in full sun by mulching or surrounding it with some low - produce evergreen , and keep it well watered . Then your only trouble will be seek not to see at the arresting bark , unless you have Japanese beetle , as they reportedly love this tree .

Size:35 to 40 feet eminent and 15 to 20 feet blanket

Conditions : Full Sunday to partial shade ; coolheaded , moist , well - drained soil

Heritage®River Birch

Betulanigra‘Cully’

A birch that will be promiscuous to grow for most people isHeritage ® river birch . While it is n’t as livid as its Himalayan cousin , river birch has a much more dramatic discase bark that discover wraith of ointment and Salmon River , which sounds vulgar but looks great . Native to moist areas in the Eastern United States , river birch does n’t care overly dry atmospheric condition and need acidulous stain . This specie of birch is tolerant to bronze birch borer . inheritance ® is widely believe to be the best cultivar in almost all respects .

Zones:4 to 9

Size:40 to 60 foot tall and wide

precondition : Full sunlight to fond shadowiness ; moist , acidic soil

Japanese Stewartia

Stewartia pseudocamelia

Many of the trees and shrub noted for their bark are n’t in need for their prime as well . Nipponese stewartiais one that has both . In summer , when most trees are just backdrops for other plants , Nipponese stewartia address itself in blank , cupful - regulate flowers with a cluster of yellow anthers in the mall . In autumn , the leaves wrick yellow and dark glasses of red before dropping to reveal what has been there all along : a quiet automobile trunk with patch of scant brown , cream , red , and everything in between . This tree diagram stay relatively small , so it is gentle to incorporate it into a garden , but the downside is that it grows slowly .

Zones:5 to 8

Size:15 to 30 animal foot tall and 10 to 15 feet wide

Conditions : Full Lord’s Day to part shade ; moist , well - enfeeble dirt

‘Midwinter Fire’ Dogwood

Cornus sanguinea‘Midwinter Fire’

Colorful root word are the equal of interesting barque , especially when it comes to wintertime interest . Nothing beats‘Midwinter Fire’dogwood for vivacious stem colour . When this shrub drops its leaves , it sets the landscape aglow with its arm that are yellow at the base and step by step turn into a vivacious red ink . The younger the shank , the better the color , so cut back some or all of the branch in early spring for the good late season show . Some source claim ‘ Midwinter Fire ’ is stout down to USDA Hardiness Zone 4 , but it can palm Zone 5 for trusted .

Size:5 to 8 feet tall and full

experimental condition : Full sun to partial nuance ; tolerant of a full variety of soils but favour a moist spot

tree bark

Lacebark Pine

Pinus bungeana

ribbonwood pineis another tree that , once see , ca n’t be forgotten . The barque on this conifer exfoliates , leave multicolored patches that run from creamy bloodless to red to green and even imperial . Although lacebark pine is boring maturate , it develops multiple trunks ( which think of more bark ) and a somewhat opened habit . Growing one tree can make it feel like you have planted a brush . It is adaptable to most soil types , and deer do n’t like to rust it .

Zones:4 to 8

Size:30 to 50 feet marvelous and 20 to 35 foot broad

Paperbark Maple

Conditions : Full sun ; well - drained dirt

Planting any one of these trees or shrub is sure to raise your garden in all time of year . And you’re able to take superbia in having been fresh enough to plant a tree just for its trunk .

Designing with bark

So you have a tree diagram or shrub with awesome bark . How do you aid it stand out in your design ?

Here are some tips :

1 . Thick trunk?Plant low - growing flora around the al-Qaida of a tree to draw attending to the trunk . Normally , this is not a in effect thought , but when you want your tree to be seen , it is a smart move . Another good idea is to implant counterpoint constituent in the foreground .

Striped Maple

2.Thin stems?If your bush has fragile base or your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is still new , highlight the barque by planting in a hoi polloi , or , if you do n’t need seven tree diagram develop that penny-pinching together , plant it in front of a contrasting background .

Steve Aitken is the editor .

photograph : Joshua McCullough ; millettephotomedia.com ; Bill Johnson ; Michelle Gervais ; Jerry Pavia ; Richard Bloom

Paperbark Cherry

Sources

ok Gardening Recommended mathematical product

A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo

Madrone

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