Reach out and touch…
Low sunlight rakes across every contour in winter, revealing tactile bark and grasses
Winter light picks up every bump and contour, so there are patterns everywhere. Trees with interesting bark take a giant step forward now if planted to catch the light. Acer griseum has peeling cinnamon bark and this small, slow-growing tree always develops an interesting shape. Birches often have bumpy ridges on the trunk (called lenticels), which form a Morse code of dots and dashes. White-stemmed Himalayan birches suit smaller gardens and Betula utilis jacquemontii ‘Grayswood Ghost’ has superb foliage and clean, Scandiwhite wood. Pinker B. ermanii ‘Grayswood Hill’ and Chinese red birch, B. albosinensis, have a shot-silk texture to their trunks. Underplant with pink-flowered Cyclamen coum. Conifers add a finer texture and grey-blue Colorado spruce, Picea pungens, forms a neat conical shape that reaches H3m (10ft) in time. ‘Fat Albert’, ‘Edith’ and ‘Erich Frahm’ are all excellent forms. Winter sunlight reveals each steely blue needle, their stems topped by light-brown tips than turn into cones. For a splash of gold, prostrate mountain pine, Pinus mugo ‘Carsten’s Wintergold’ glows in winter light, but give it good drainage. Late-season grasses add texture, and movement too. The creamy feather-duster heads of pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) look magnificent against a winter sky. ‘Sunningdale Silver’ has finely variegated silver and white foliage and upright plumes. Place them carefully – their foliage has sharp edges – but they’re the king of showmen in winter.
Miscanthus sinensis is another good choice. ‘Malepartus’ opens wine-red then fades to silver, while more compact ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ has narrow silky red to silver plumes.
Low sunlight gives a lacquer to bamboo canes and warms the elegant avocado-green foliage. When the wind blows through, they tremble attractively, casting a flickering pattern of light like a huge magic lantern at play. There’s a gentle rustle too. Phyllostachys nigra reaches head height and its black canes are accentuated by narrow white rings. Keep its roots in bounds and you won’t go far wrong. ✿
Trees with interesting bark take a giant step forward now