6 of the best plants for winter stems and bark

Cornus sanguinea ‘Winter Beauty’

This hardy deciduous shrub reaches 6½ft (2m) in height. White spring flowers, colourful autumn foliage display followed by red winter stems. Requires hard pruning in March to ensure colourful stems.

Prunus serrula

Perfect tree for a small garden reaching 26ft (8m). White flowers in late April. No pruning required, but if you do need to tidy up the shape prune in midsummer to avoid silver leaf.

Betula utilis var. jacquemontii

A robust tree that will reach 33ft (10m) in height. Effective as a standard and multi-stemmed tree. Brilliant white bark. Perfect for a well-drained soil in full or part shade. No pruning required.

Rubus cockburnianus

An architectural, white-stemmed, hardy shrub. Purple summer flowers followed by unpalatable fruits. Watch out for the prickly stems. Height 8ft (2½m). Prune hard in late winter or early spring.

Acer x conspicuum ‘Phoenix’

Reaches a height of 13ft (4m). The new winter shoots are bright red, but the mature trunk is orange streaked with silvery white. Requires little or no pruning. New shoots can rival the red of cornus.

Salix alba var. vitellina ‘Britzensis’

An easy-to-grow willow with bright orange stems. Can be grown as a large tree or kept as a shrub. Prune hard in late winter/early spring to encourage a crop of colourful stems. Spring catkins.