Ornamental Bark on Deciduous Trees in the Midwest

Textured, colorful branches radiate winter interest long after the last leaves fall

A feature that many overlook when selecting a tree is the bark . classifiable barque add optic interest , and an appreciative eye will bask the boundless reach of beautiful colors and texture . clearly , we might initially be looking at tree diagram for their potency for shade , covering , efflorescence , colorful foliation , fall color , or other equipment characteristic , but the value of interesting barque should n’t be forgotten . Some bark is quite insidious during the growing season . The color , rule , and texture will doubtlessly become more blazing in the wintertime month . Here are five of my pet selections for bark with wintertime interest .

‘Hallelujah’ lacebark elm

Ulmus parvifolia‘Hallelujah ’ , partition 4–9Size:40 to 50 foundation improbable and 30 to 60 feet wideConditions : Full sun ; well - enfeeble soil

This cold - tolerant , fast - growing elm is a tough , fast grower in many setting and will put up shade quickly . The clean , glossy foliation is remarkable , although the bark characteristic only get good with age . At a immature long time , intense scale produces many shorter , kink , and peeling pieces of bark that reveal a range of brown , cream , and fleeceable color . With eld , however , the scale diminishes , exposing a important and noticeable camouflage - colourise mottling of gray , cream , orange , brown , and green .

Paperbark maple

Acer griseum , Zones 4–8Size:15 to 20 pes grandiloquent and 15 to 25 feet wideConditions : Full sun to fond shade ; moist , well - drained grease

This small maple is a tremendous specimen tree , although it can be a bit more tender in the northerly part of its arise reach . The dark unripened , trifoliolate foliage turns ruby-red and orange in nightfall . Once the leaves fall , the exfoliate bark has a chance to fall . It ranges in color from copper to orange to cinnamon and red , with the most striking peeling on new trunk and branches . But the trunk and branch framework are a focal point in the winter landscape on trees of all years .

Shagbark hickory

Carya ovata , Zones 4–8Size:50 to 70 feet tall and 50 to 70 feet wideConditions : Full Sunday to partial shade ; well - drain soil

This amazing native tree has a broad range of statistical distribution , from Quebec to Minnesota and Confederate States to Texas and Georgia . Give this bombastic nicety tree good deal of blank space to raise , and admit it in woodland restorations as well . The nuts are bask by a spacious range of wildlife . The well characteristic of the long , peeling strip of bark improve with age . Significant curling of the bark is a common characteristic that help hoi polloi identify this native species .

Exclamation!™ London planetree

Platanus×acerifolia‘Morton Circle ’ , geographical zone 4–8Size:50 to 60 feet grandiloquent and 30 to 50 invertebrate foot wideConditions : Full sunlight ; well - drained grunge

This large , tight - growing shade tree diagram is exceedingly durable in gardens and urban landscape and tolerates a broad range of soil condition , including wet and dry situations and the Great Compromiser ground . This excerpt also tolerates alkaline soils and fix that are bear on by route salt . The mottled bark have shades of white , cream , tan , green , and brown , which stand out throughout the year , but in particular during the innocent winter months . The beautiful marbling meliorate with old age and is reminiscent of camouflage patterns .

China Snow®Peking lilac

Syringa reticulatasubsp.pekinensis‘Morton ’ , Zones 3–7Size:20 to 25 feet tall and 15 to 25 feet wideConditions : Full sunlight ; moist , well - drain soil

This is a beautiful specimen tree in a full - sun location where the late spring , fragrant white flower plume flush for hebdomad . The cosmetic bark is blatant throughout the year . exfoliate layers of coppery , amber barque start to be more noticeable and provide more vividness demarcation as the leaves swing in autumn . The desquamation is most conspicuous on the youthful growth . But no matter the geezerhood of the tree , glossy pig - colored trunks and leg wait amazing in a snowy landscape .

— Mark Dwyer , former managing director of gardening at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville , Wisconsin , operates Landscape Prescriptions by MD .

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