A beautiful garden even in winter

Decorative barks to brighten up the garden in winter

Acer davidii or Snake Bark Maple

The Acer davidii is known as the Snake Skin Maple* due to its bark resembling… a snake’s skin. This maple thrives in partial shade in rich, humus-bearing soil that is cool but well-drained. In short, it prefers a somewhat woodland atmosphere. It is a small tree that is easy to grow, reaching a height of no more than 5 m. Its greatest fear is heavy, overly wet soil in winter.

*Note: Other maples may also be referred to as “snake skin maple,” such as Acer capillipes and Acer rufinerve.

Acer davidii (© Dan Keck)

Acer griseum or Paperbark Maple

The Acer griseum is known in French as the cinnamon maple due to its bark that peels over the years like cinnamon. The tree is stunning all year round, but without the foliage, the bark becomes even more prominent and adds real interest to the garden in winter. Like the Acer davidii, the Acer griseum prefers partial shade and humus-bearing, cool, but well-drained soils. Do not plant it in the south of France, as this small tree (6 m tall) will suffer too much from the heat and drought.

Acer griseum

Prunus serrula 'Jaro'

Another very beautiful specimen whose bark peels away, revealing a very smooth bark with almost metallic bronze reflections. This tree is part of the ornamental Prunus, known as Prunus serrula ‘Jaro’. In addition to its bark, this tree showcases a lovely white flowering in spring. To grow it well, this Prunus prefers sun or partial shade and fertile, cool, but well-drained soil.

Prunus serrula

Betula nigra and Betula utilis

Birches in general, even the simplest ones, have a beautiful bark that is revealed in winter. Some, less well-known, deserve a prominent place in the garden. This is the case of the Betula utilis or Himalayan Birch with its extremely white bark. Nearby, we note the presence of a Betula nigra or Black Birch, with very dark (almost black) and deeply fissured bark, giving it a very mature appearance quickly.

To grow birches, it’s quite simple: full sun or partial shade and a neutral, acidic, or calcareous soil, it doesn’t matter, as long as it is well-drained.

Betula nigra and Betula utilis

Acer triflorum or Three-flowered Maple

We started with two maples, and we will end our garden stroll with… another maple. Here, it’s a lesser-known Acer: the Acer triflorum or Three-flowered Maple. Its bark peels a little, but more importantly, it quickly takes on an aged, antique appearance, even in relatively young specimens. In terms of cultivation, it’s the same as the other two maples presented at the beginning: partial shade and humus-bearing soil that remains cool but well-drained.

Acer triflorum

For further reading...

Here, only a brief selection of trees with remarkable bark has been presented: Prunus, Acer griseum, Birches… But there are many more! Consider the Strawberry Tree – Arbutus x andrachnoides, the decorative wood dogwoods (Cornus alba, Cornus sericea, Cornus sanguinea…), and certain Rubus, such as Rubus thibetanus ‘Silver Fern’…

In short, you can “colour” or dress your garden in winter, even without evergreen foliage. You just need to think a little more about remarkable barks.