Whether the winter garden is a wonderland of ice and snow — or a brown and gray drab — cynics say there’s nothing to see. Wrong! The beauty of unclothed deciduous trees includes one of their most overlooked but dramatic features: the bark. Especially in winter the many colors, textures and patterns of bark in selected species seem to take on a whole new beauty.
River birch
One of my favorite spots in my garden is a small grove of river birch (Betula nigra). Imagine a stunning and lustrous white bark that peels to expose light reddish-brown to cinnamon underlayers. As the tree matures, the trunk usually becomes a dark reddish-brown, deeply lined and broken into oddly shaped platelike scales. There are many possibilities among individual trees because there is a lot of variability in this species. Some people claim the color is everything from salmon pink to fabulous shades of brown. Frankly, each tree is exciting and the differences make it a unique planting. River birch grows medium to fast, which makes it a good choice for new homeowners, usually averaging 40 feet tall. The small dark green leaves provide light shade, making river birches the perfect foil for perennial or ground cover plantingsberneath their branches. ‘Heritage’ does better in hot climates. It grows to optimum size in moist soil, but survives in drier soils. Hardy in USDA Zones 4 to 9.
Crapemyrtle
Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a fast-growing small shrub or tree that lends southern gardens added charm. Their long flowering season (in mid to late summer or early fall) and the variety of flower color gives this plant a wow factor. Many of them have great fall color. They are listed hardy in USDA Zones 7 to 10, but some are hardy in a sheltered location in Zone 6, and some gardeners grow them as perennials beyond the northern fringes of their hardiness zone. Their roots are much hardier than their tops; I have one that died to the ground, but came up the following years from the roots, just shorter. Crape myrtle concentrates its foliage near the top of its trunks, leaving its beautiful bark for all to enjoy at any time of year. Depending on the cultivar, the bark can be smooth gray, tan or even whitish; exfoliating combinations of browns and gray also occur.
Ironwood (photo by David Sanford)
American hophornbeam or ironwood (Ostrya virginiana) is a small- to mid-sized native with a rounded profile and drooping branches, topping out at 25 to 40 feet. Its nickname musclewood comes from the sinewy grayish-brown bark that’s broken into slender longitudinal strips. Another attractive feature on this tree is the reddish-brown, zigzag twigs. It flourishes in full sun to partial shade in dry and rocky soils. USDA Zones 3b to 9.
Zelkova (photo by Hugh Conlon)
Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata) is a marvelously tall, vase-shaped tree that reaches 50 to 80 feet in height. This fast-growing tree is considered the replacement for the American elm. It has distinctive foliage, lovely ascending branches and interesting textured bark. In the young tree the bark is a handsome cherry-like, brownish-red, but as it ages it peels to show gray, green, orange and brown. A great shade tree, the zelkova is very wind- and drought-tolerant once established, and it resists pollution and tolerates a wide range of soil pH. Hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 8.
One of the best ways to decorate a child’s room is around a theme or color scheme. The simple How-To instructions will be easy to follow whether you’re doing a boy’s room or a girl’s room.
Pretty & Practical
Traditional favorites such as poinsettias, mistletoe, Christmas cactus and holly bring color and life to many celebrations. And many of these plants can be kept alive from year to year. 
