Penn State News

As you look out across a winter landscape and see nothing but monotonous shades of gray or brown plan now to introduce late season color. The problem often starts when we plan our landscape with an eye to spring and summer beauty and forget that winter view of the garden.

Too little consideration is given to the long, cold winter season and the potential for achieving year-round beauty and interest in the landscape. I often tell my students that a number of plants are at their most attractive stage in the fall and winter when they display bark or fruit.

Though coniferous and broad leaf evergreens provide green beauty during the winter season, there are several deciduous trees and shrubs with striking bark and colorful twigs and fruit. When these plants are used as focal points and in combination with other materials your garden can be attractive all year.

The native river birch - Betula nigra is a good alternative to the white-barked birches that are so susceptible to bores and leaf miner. The species has a reddish-brown to peach-colored, flaky bark that produces a warm effect against a white background. The bark on the cultivar 'Heritage' tends to peel more and displays a salmon color. The tree survives well in most soils and tolerates wet and dry sites. Under optimum conditions a tree may reach 30 feet in 20 years.

The redosier dogwood - Cornus sericea is a native shrub growing 6 to 7 feet tall. It is definitely best in winter with a display of brilliant red stems. Cold weather actually improves the color on younger stems. To maintain a supply of young stems, cut back older brown-barked stems to the ground in early spring. There is also a yellow twig dogwood, which is similar to redosier dogwood except the winter twigs are bright yellow.

The native, deciduous winterberry holly - Ilex verticillata is simply brilliant at this time of year, especially when its bright red fruit contrasts against a background of white snow. This is an oval to rounded shrub that is excellent for mass effect or the shrub border. It generally grows 6 to 10 feet tall and tolerates a wide variety of soil types. The sexes are separate and the fruit is only produced on the females of the species. To assure a good fruit crop plant a male close to the females. Most of the commercial cultivars such as 'Sparkleberry' or 'Winter Red' usually have more fruit, which is retained long into winter.

When used in conjunction with evergreens, the grayish white fruit of northern bayberry - Myrica pensylvanica stands out well. The small fruit is born close to the stem on older wood and persists well beyond January in most years. The plant is very tolerant of soil conditions, and is very hardy. It is native along the New England coast and tolerates some salty conditions. Plants are broad and spreading and can be maintained at 6 to 8 feet with periodic thinning of older stems. In a protected location plants may hold a few leaves all winter.

The medium-sized Chinese elm - Ulmus parvifolia produces a bark with a mottled combinations of gray, green, orange and brown colors that stand out in just about any landscape situation. The mature size of the tree is about 40 feet with a graceful round-headed form and slightly pendulous branchlets. The summer leaves are small and deep green. The plant is very tolerant and more durable than most elms.

**Dr. Robert Nuss is a horticulturist at Penn State. He coordinates all extension horticulture programs. He has bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in ornamental horticulture and has been on the Penn State faculty since 1966.