Dare to be bare Dare to be bare (December 23, 2005)

Winter exposes naked garden beauties

by Kelly Bowman Greenwood, APLD

Our gardens are taking it all off. The Ginkgo trees have dropped their glorious yellow robes like Josephine Baker in a Parisian nightclub; the Chinese Pistache trees stand surrounded by puddles of leaves. Wherever we look, our gardens are showing some skin, proudly flaunting their bark and branches.

Winter is a great time to appreciate the beauty of the bare branch. It's also a great time to plant trees and shrubs because they're dormant, which means less likelihood of transplant shock. By planting now, your garden additions can take advantage of winter rains to get established and come spring they'll have plenty of energy stored to grow.

To get started, look for these favorites in your local nursery. Latin names are included to help you request specific varieties from your nurseryman -- with nursery stock limited this time of year, it may be best to special-order bare root specimens for your garden to get what you want.

Coral Bark Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'). The smooth, coral-red bark is stunning, and trimmings can be used to create long-lasting sculptural display of cut branches indoors.

Black Bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra). Black bamboo retains many of its leaves in winter, but I have to include it for its racy black stalks. Place it outside an important window and uplight at night for a dramatic show, or cut the stalks and use them in indoor arrangements. Be a good neighbor: Remember to plant all bamboos, even "clumpers," with plastic root barrier according to manufacturer instructions.

Redtwig Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera). A great screen or bank plant, the intensely red twigs are gorgeous. Plant it with enough room -- it likes damp places and will keep spreading as long as it is getting enough water.

Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum). Thought exfoliating was just for freshening your skin? The constantly peeling bark of this maple keeps providing garden interest long after the leaves are gone, and kids like the funny winged seed pods.

Expecting relatives from the Midwest or the Northeast and want to dazzle them with early bloomers they won't see for weeks or months yet? Try these plants that bloom on bare wood:

Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles spp.). A midwinter floral classic for its talent of blooming on bare wood, this is also a great plant for garden barriers or bank covers. 'Toyo Nishiki' produces different colored blooms along the same branch. There are low growers and tall varieties, so ask your nurseryman to be sure you get one that fits your space requirements.

Western Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii). Our western dogwood is so beautiful that I'm surprised more gardeners don't use it. If you're a transplant from the East Coast and you're having trouble with that Eastern Dogwood you planted a few years ago -- you know, the one that gets too much sun and not enough water, and is now getting attacked by some mysterious disease -- try 'Eddie's White Wonder,' a sturdier hybrid of eastern and western Dogwoods.

Redbud (Cercis spp.). Our compact native western redbud (C. occidentalis) and its tree-sized eastern cousin (C. canadensis) develop small pink to purple buds all along the dark gray branches. The 'Forest Pansy' variety of C. canadensis entertains in all four seasons: After budding on bare branches, large, heart-shaped purple leaves emerge, gradually changing to green, then coloring up yellow and red in fall. This is an all-around fabulous patio tree for casting a light shade, or outside an important window for year-round drama. Use it where you might want a Japanese maple, but think it would get too much sun or heat in the summer.

Kerria japonica. This is a large-scale plant, so use it with care. But in a big enough garden, plant them as a group. You'll want to set up a seat in late winter to watch the show of yellow blooms unfolding. Or, take the kids to the San Francisco Botanical Garden and watch theirs bloom!

This is the season to look past the fancy party dresses and see what interest your garden has even after leaves and flowers have been stripped away. How does your garden look undressed?

Kelly Bowman Greenwood is principal of Greenwood Landscape Design and a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. www.kellygreenwood.com

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