What looks good now in Vancouver? pt 3

Some plants have colour that is enhanced by winter's cold weather.  

The bright red bark of the Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' gets brighter and redder with cold temperatures and exposure to the winter sun.   The vibrant red whips of branches contrast beautifully with dark greens in a winter garden.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'

Similarly, the reds of our native Cornus sericea (Red Osier Dogwood, Red Twigged Dogwood) branches are more striking with the winter cold.   These shrubs can withstand most garden conditions from wet to dry, and good to bad soils.  The deciduous leaves can be variegated white or plain green as shown here.  The umbrels of white flowers turn to blue berries in summer.

The C. sericea can grow into a full tree, or can be kept as a 3' shrub if old wood is removed every 2-3 years in spring.  Removing old wood encourages the plant to send off new red whips from the base.  The new growth will also have the brightest red colour.

Cornus sericea

The Cornus sericea species also come with yellow bark.  

Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea'