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'

What looks good now in Vancouver? pt 2

As I mentioned before, there are not many flowers blooming now in Vancouver, so we have to think of other ways to make the garden interesting.  Here are two trees, suitable for a residential garden, that have interesting bark.  

This first photograph shows an Acer griseum, or Paper Bark Maple.  A. griseum has a beautiful, rich brown, peeling bark.  The warmth of the bark colour contrasts well with our cold grey days.  The way the bark peels gives an extra interesting texture to the garden.

The leaves of the A. griseum are atypical for a maple tree, and they produce a wonderful autumn colour, before dropping to unveil the bark for the winter.

The Stewartia pseudocamellia, or Japanese Stewartia, also has a colourful bark for winter interest.  It, too, is suitable for a residential garden.  The S. pseudocamellia bark peels in patches, resembling camouflage like colouring.

In summer, white flowers appear that resemble the flowers of a Camellia, hence the species name, "pseudocamellia."