Feb 9, 2008 4 min read

Trees are visual anchors in our gardens and landscapes. Most often considered for what they offer in overall shape, and summer and fall foliage, trees offer us something to look at in winter, too.

Conifers are an obvious choice, if greenery is what’s desired year-round.

Deciduous trees, on the other hand, give us interesting structure skeletons against the sky to trace with our eyes.

And, as a bonus, some deciduous trees offer ornamental bark.

Birch trees are my favorites for beautiful bark. The white-barked native Betula papyrifera, or paper or canoe birch, is the one we likely first envision when the name birch is mentioned.

But, the European white birch, B. pendula, was more popular at one time because it developed the white bark at a younger age than the native variety.

Unfortunately, the bronze birch borer can be a problem with the European birch, so people tend to steer away from it.

A Japanese white birch, B. platyphylla var. japonica, is another choice for white bark.

Birch has other bark colors and characteristics, too. I’m rather partial to a sweet birch (also called black birch) that grows in my front yard.

B. lenta has dark reddish-brown bark, when young.

As mine matures, the bark remains smooth-looking, but I am told it will eventually develop large, irregular plates.

That, also, will provide something interesting in the winter garden.

When I lived in Virginia, I grew a nice clump of river birch, B. nigra. The bark of this species – which also grows very well in Pennsylvania – is a nice cinnamon-brown that peels. I’ll be adding river birch soon to my present garden. A very popular river birch cultivar is called “Heritage.”

Gray birch, B. populifolia, is another birch tree option, though its bark is not as spectacular as the others.

A few years ago, when I was making a winter visit to Swarthmore Arboretum in southeastern Pennsylvania, a maple tree with peeling bark caught my eye: Acer triflorum.

I learned this species, also called three-flower maple, or roughbark maple, is native to Korea and Manchuria.

A similar species with incredible peeling bark is the paperbark maple, A. griseum. Paperbark maple is a species from China, but it is said to be easier to find for purchase than three-flower maple.

Either way, I’d like to add one or the other to my garden.

A native maple that has distinctive bark is striped maple, A. pensylvanicum.

Striped maple’s bark has whitish, vertical stripes on a background of dark greenish-brown. In the woods, where it grows as an understory tree, its bark is quite a standout year-round. Unfortunately, striped maple doesn’t fare well in a cultivated garden environment.

But you might consider it if you have a wooded landscape.

There are a few hickory trees in my yard, and they have their pluses and negatives, but the type I have are not standouts for their bark. The species I wish I had for its interesting bark is the shagbark hickory, Carya ovata. Shagbark hickory is aptly named – its exfoliating bark hangs in large strips.

When I see one in the woods, I can’t help but stare at it.

Also, shagbark hickory’s nuts are sweet and edible, unlike the species I have now.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from shaggy is the smooth silver-gray bark of a beech tree.

A grove of American beech, Fagus grandifolia, is stunningly beautiful to see in winter in the woods.

It is difficult to find in garden centers, however. Perhaps better suited for home gardens is the European beech, F. sylvayica, which offers the same beautiful bark characteristics in a number of named cultivars.

European beech is a monstrous tree, though, so if you consider it, make sure you have enough room. One can reach 50-60 feet tall and wide, or larger.

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Susan Brimo-Cox gardens, observes nature and writes in Ohiopyle.

Readers can send questions or comments to her at naturesgarden@brimo-cox.com.