Bark and Stems for Winter Gardens

Bark and stems for winter gardens is a selection of trees and shrubs to give you winter interest. That may be to contrast with evergreen hedging or to provide colour in a mainly herbaceous border.

Inspired in part by National Tree Week, in this blog I hope to show you that you can have an ornamental garden all year round. And that your garden as a whole can provide food and shelter for wildlife too. Indeed, cut flowers for the house and edibles for the table are also possible, but I look at these in different blogs (some links are at the end).

How to Choose the Right Tree or Shrub for You and Your Garden

Firstly, check your soil as some trees prefer an acid soil and wont thrive if you garden on chalk. Unless you grow the tree or shrub in a pot, which is often possible.

Secondly, check how much room you have in both the place where you want the tree and a second option. This is in case you fall in love with a tree that needs more space / light etc than you first allowed for. Check what the height and spread will be in 5 and 10 years’ time, and when its fully mature.

Thirdly, when you’ve found the spot for your tree, consider what shade it will cast over your garden and your neighbours’. This is particularly important in smaller gardens.

Fourthly, initial care and ongoing maintenance. For example, will you need a tree surgeon once the tree has grown.

What effect are we looking for?

Well, we’re looking for trees and shrubs that come into their own from later autumn to early spring. Bark and stems for winter gardens being the clue! However, rather than just naming the tree, or even arranging by colour, I’ve taken a garden designer angle and also added some (fairly loose) garden styles or themes to get you thinking. These are –

Formal garden

minimalist
contemporary
traditional
kitchen

Informal garden

cottage
wildlife
family
contemporary

Soil and Aspect

Except where stated, the trees and shrubs are fairly tolerant of

soil pH, the mid-range of 6 – 7.5
aspect as in sunny or partially shady

Bark and Stems for Winter Gardens

If your garden is large enough, having a separate ‘room’ or border as a standalone feature for December to February can be eminently feasible. For those of us with smaller gardens, placing the winter divas needs more careful consideration. But still gives us a wonderful reason for getting outside on dismal days.

A coppiced, aka multi stemmed, tree will give multiple slender trunks and a different effect to a single stemmed full height specimen. The measurement for the height and spread in 1 15 – 20 years are for a single stemmed, tree or shrub left to grow.

Let’s first look at trees and shrubs that will offer winter interest and then at a couple of planting examples to inspire you.

These are the six main ones, and my favourites and why of each follow on

Common Name	Botanical Latin Name

Birch	Betula
Cherry	Prunus
Dogwood	Cornus
Hazel	Corylus
Maple	Acer
Willow	Salix

Birch, Betula

The silver birch, Betula pendula, has been very popular on garden shows over recent years, but, much as I love it as a British native, it’s not on this list as there are others with better winter colour. Peeling bark is a feature on all of those below, and the intensity of the colour will vary depending on the exact location of the tree and the soil its in.

Betula albosinensis septentrionalis, Chinese Red Bark Birch, has bark which ranges from honey coloured through cinnamon and into rich maroon. I just love this colour range! 8 x 4 metres. RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Betula albosinensis ‘Pink Champagne’ has pale pink and more delicate foliage, but is a bigger and faster growing tree reaching 15 x 10 metres. Where there’s room I’d plant this one as it has a soft colour that will glow against both snow and evergreen hedging.

Betula utilis var. jacquemontii ‘Grayswood Ghost’ probably has the whitest bark of all birches. 15 x 10 metres. RHS Award of Garden Merit. In a shady corner as a coppiced tree or small copse there is definitely something ghostly about the tree at dusk…

Cherry, Prunus

To be precise, Prunus serrula, Tibetan Cherry. If you’re a lover of cherry blossom in spring then this is an excellent way to extend the interest in a smaller garden. The shiny mahogany peeling bark is a stunner year-round, but especially so in the winter months. 12 x 8 metres

Dogwood, Cornus

Cornus Sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ is one of the three most popular dogwoods I’ve planted for winter colour for design clients. And rightly so, the ombre effect of stems which are red at the base fading through orange to yellow or even cream at the tips is quite stunning. I’ve used it as both a coppiced and a pollarded shrub. Although normally expect it to reach 2 x 2 metres, left to grow it makes a small tree about 3m tall.

Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ This dogwood is often overlooked, which is a pity as it adds garden drama when the dark red stems turn purple-black in winter. and yes, the Latin scholars amongst you may have noticed the amusing fact that this is a white dogwood! 2 x 2 metres

Cornus alba ‘Siberica’ variegata has green leaves edged with white and, if you leave some of the stems unpruned blue berries to follow on from small white flowers. But it’s the coral red stems that become vibrant in the colder weather that make this dogwood a winner. 2.5 x 2.5 metres, RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Hazel, Corylus

The cobnut hazel, Corylus avellana, has a variant with twisted stems which gives us a different sort of winter interest, textural rather than colourful. Corylus avellana ’Contorta’ is the corkscrew hazel and if you’d like colour as well (when in leaf anyway), there is a cultivar with red-purple foliage, then look for Corylus avellana ’Contorta’ ‘Red Majestic’. 4 x 3 metres

Maple, Acer

We think of ornamental Acers for their stunning foliage – but many have stems and branches that are wonderful in winter too. These are often referred to as Snake bark Maple trees. The younger stems and trunks have the better colour, but even the older, greener bark has attractive white stripes.

Acer davidii ‘George Forrest’ has young bark which is purple-red to green with creamy white stripes. Young stems are coral red in summer and in autumn feature leaves that have turned a fiery orange. 5 x 4 metres, RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Acer conspicuum ‘Red Flamingo’ is such a fun tree with variegated foliage and striped bark. The develop beautiful marbled patterns in green, pink and white. Young stems are bright red, 5 x 4 metres.

Willow, Salix

Salix x Sepulcralis ‘Erythroflexuosa’ is a bit of a mouthful, but ‘Golden Curls’ willow has twisting yellow / orange / gold stems that hang downwards. It prefers a sunny spot and a moist soil but is a pretty variant of the classic golden weeping willow, Salix x sepulcralis chrysocoma, for both smaller and winter themed gardens. 5 x 5 metres, as compared to 12 x 8 metres. Both have the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Salix slba var. Vitellina ‘Yelverton’ on the other hand, whilst also known as the golden willow, has upright stems. It’s a popular willow for basket making because of the colour. 6 x 4 metres, RHS Award of Garden Merit.

I also love the violet willow, Salix Daphnoides ‘Aglaia’ with violet-red stems. Can be easily kept to 4 x 4 metres, left alone expect it to reach double that and more. It is the male form of Salix Daphnoides, so has catkins; both have coloured stems. RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Design Ideas – Bark and Stems for Winter Gardens

A quick whiz through five planting ideas for different gardening styles.

Minimalist garden – a winter border in a minimalist contemporary garden could feature a group of Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ planted in front of mini copse of coppiced birch.

Traditional formal garden – to fully appreciate the dark stems of Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’, plant inside neat clipped hedging of silver leaved Santolina x chamaecyparissus. Underplant with spring flowering bulbs.

Cottage garden and kitchen garden – for practicality, it should be one of the straight stemmed willows; the pruned stems in spring can then be used to make plant supports including obelisks.

Wildlife garden – Corylus avellana ’Contorta’ would make a good specimen small tree, with catkins and nuts for food.

Front garden fun – Acer conspicuum ‘Red Flamingo’ pruned as topiary in the shape of a flamingo and accompanied with a few flamingo statues all next to a small pond would certainly make for a fun front garden!

National Tree Week

Reaching its fiftieth year in 2023, National Tree Week, 25 November – 3 December, is the UK’s largest annual tree celebration. Yep, for those of us old enough to remember, it all started with the campaign ‘Plant a tree for 73’. And I remember planting with my mother and grandfather what I recollect as a rowan.

The conservation sector, volunteer groups and tree-lovers the come together to mark the start of the tree planting season. Winter is a good time of year for planting as deciduous trees have lost their leaves and have become dormant, ie stopped growing. This reduces the stress involved in being planted. Which is why its bare root season too. And even evergreens get a little sleepy as the cold weather gets going.

and finally

If you’re looking for a Christmas gift with a difference, why not ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden? We can help with both gardening basics and more ‘expert tasks’, carry out worm and other experiments and for example, also show you how to plan a wildlife friendly ornamental border. Click here for a free PDF download with more information on Plews Gardening Lessons and Courses

For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet – You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.