PLANTS WITH INTERESTING BARK AND BRANCHES

There are many trees and shrubs that will draw your attention in the winter time just by their bark.  The same can be said about many shrubs with interesting twigs or branches.  From the exfoliating bark of the river birch to the vivid stems of the Red-Twig Dogwood, sometimes the bare bones of a plant can be all you need to brighten up your landscape before Spring rolls around.

 Ninebark

     Forget about saving the best for last this time!  One of my personal favorites, you'll be hard pressed to find a time when you'll hear me to say one bad thing about the ninebark. The ninebark, or Physocarpus, is a great shrub for year round attraction.  It's typically not the most well-known plant in the landscape, but once you get yourself acquainted with it there aren't many features on this plant that won't win you over!  For those not familiar with the ninebark, it can be easily compared to the weigela in its shape, leaf color, and preference of sunlight exposure.  Some cultivars like 'Gold Nugget' have a lime green leaf color, though more commonly seen are the reddish to dark purple varieties, as found with 'Coppertina' and 'Diablo'.  The bark is slightly exfoliated, with attractive almond and deep brown tones. It has an almost striped appearance to it, which is very apparent as the plant matures.  The branching of the ninebark is fairly compact, and combined with its 5-10 ft. height range and fast growth rate, it makes a wonderful candidate for screening an area.  To give a quick rundown from season to season, here's what to expect from the ninebark:  Bright red, gold, or copper colored new growth in spring; lush, colorful foliage and profuse pink-white blooms in summer; continuance of the season's leaf color well into the fall; finally a disclosure of showy bark to keep the eye satisfied for the winter.  Need I say more?

Korean Dogwood

     The Cornus kousa, kousa dogwood, Korean dogwood...call it what you want it will still look just as impressive as a mature tree in the winter landscape!  As they age, the bark of kousa dogwoods develop a mottled look, a soft blend of white, grey, gold, and brown hues.  Aside from the bark aesthetics, you'll find creamy white blooms in early summer, and the deep crimson fall color is always a plus.  If you didn't already know, Cornus kousa is our substitution for Cornus florida, or the native dogwood, and for a good reason.  The kousa dogwood is not plagued by the pests and diseases that frequently attack the native flowering dogwood, such as borers and anthracnose.  They don't require too much space, topping out around 30 feet, and come in both single and multi-stem form.  A very common tree in this area, you won't have to look far to find an example of one to see for yourself.  If not though, we have more than a few mature kousas on the property here at the nursery!

Japanese Stewartia

     The Japanese Stewartia's stunning blooms will grab your attention right off the bat, but it also sports gorgeous, smooth bark over time.  Regarding leaf color, spring through summer the leaves are a dark green, but come fall, they turn a bright, fiery red.  The flowers bloom a soft white in mid-summer and are somewhat rose-shaped and fragrant.  It can reach 70 feet high, and about 25 feet wide, ultimately being a fairly large, columnar tree.  Somewhat of an overlooked winter interest candidate, the bark is most noticeable as the tree ages and is incomparable on matured trees.  Exposure preference is sun to part shade.

River Birch

     There are many different varieties of birches, the most commonly seen is usually the white paper birch.   We sell the river birch in particular because it has shown remarkable resistance to the bronze birch borer.  'Heritage', 'Dura-Heat', and 'Fox Valley' are three selections that we normally stock here at the nursery, the latter being a fairly small birch, almost a shrub variety.  All will have a bright yellow fall leaf color, and will do well in areas where the soil is fairly moist or too wet for other trees.  'Dura-Heat', as the name implies, is also resistant to drought.  'Fox Valley'  is a much smaller birch, only topping out at only about 15 feet tall and  .  The bark starts out as a peeling, reddish brown and eventually turns to a darker brown-grey as the tree ages.  Most river birches are multi-stemmed, and they will fill out to a conical  30-50 ft. tall by 15-40 ft. wide depending on what cultivar you choose.

Highbush Blueberry

     A blueberry bush is not usually the first thing to come to mind when you're thinking about a winter interest plant.  Long after you've enjoyed the berries during the summer months, the stems of this shrub turn a bright red, vivid enough to almost rival the itea.  The blooms are white to sometimes pink and are followed by edible fruit in mid-summer.  It will grow well in moist, acidic soil, in full sun to part shade.  The berries and branches aren't its only highlight, as the leaves turn a bright red in the fall as well.  There are many different cultivars available, some blooming earlier than others, thus producing fruit earlier.  'Northland', 'Bluecrop', and 'Patriot' are a few popular varieties. 

Sweetspire

     You might remember this plant from our fall highlights.  The sweetspire, or commonly known as the itea (Itea virginica) as well, is a shrub that seems to be recommend for almost any sort of seasonal interest, and it is not particularly picky about site placement either.  It's winter highlight is certainly it's radiant red branches, which are somewhat compact and fairly thin.  It will leaf out green in the springtime, and bloom white in the summer.  The flowers attract both butterflies and hummingbirds, and are mildly fragrant.  The leaves turn a very bright, deep shade of red, which is why it's our substitute for the burning bush, as the burning bush is on the invasive plant list. It can also be substituted for red-twig dogwoods in areas too dry for the dogwood.  To read more about the itea, click here.

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