Yard & Garden: Many trees offer some spectacular bark

Note: Just a reminder of our sixth annual Spring into Gardening workshop, set on Feb. 22, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the LifeSpan Center in Mattoon. Register at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ccdms/ or by downloading a registration form from the same website, or one may register in person at the Coles County Extension office, 707 Windsor Road, Suite A, Charleston. The cost is $20 per person. For more information, phone the Coles County Extension office, 217-345-7034.

WOW! What a winter this one is turning out to be. I am sick of it already and we are not even half way through, but it has brought with it some pretty incredible scenes outside my windows.

Winter offers a great opportunity to see a trees bark, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.

Many trees offer spectacular bark, said Rhonda Ferree. Too often people overlook this part of a plants aesthetic qualities. But considering that most deciduous trees and shrubs are without leaves for many long winter months, we should consider using trees and shrubs with good bark character.

The trees most commonly planted for their bark characteristics are white-barked trees. Examples are birch, sycamore, and white poplars.

Some trees are actually more beautiful without foliage because of their bark, she said. Good examples include Acer griseum and Ulmus parvifolia.

Acer griseum goes by the common name of paper bark maple because of its spectacular bark, which is a cinnamon brown that exfoliates to expose rich brown colors.Ulmus parvifolia is also called lacebark elm. It has magnificent bark with mottled combinations of gray, green, orange, and brown. Compared to other elms, it shows considerable disease and insect resistance.

Paper birch trees are very popular but unfortunately do not typically live long in Central Illinois. Two commonly planted white birch trees are white birch (Betula papyrifera) and European white birch (Betula pendula). Both have whitish bark, but the Europeans bark does not peel as much, and with age the trunk becomes black.

Both of these trees are extremely susceptible to the bronze birch borer. Therefore, I do not recommend planting these trees unless you are willing to replace them every few years, Ferree said.

Ferree suggests a better option is to plant a white-barked version of the native river birch (Betula nigra Heritage).

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Yard & Garden: Many trees offer some spectacular bark