Trees are not void of beauty in the winter months.
By JOAN S. BOLTON
The South Coast Beacon

The garden in winter. Even on the South Coast, it may not be a pretty sight.

On dreary days, it's easy to get locked into seeing nothing more than barren trees, spent shrubs, soggy perennials and mucky soil.

But look at the skyline, and a number of trees may surprise you.

Certain deciduous trees have much to offer after they shed their leaves. Some provide dramatic silhouettes against the bracing blue of cold, cloudless skies. Others cast twisted, eerie shadows that grow ever longer into twilight.

Up close, you may find bark in a patchwork of colors, or peeling away in distinctive patterns. Dried pods or interesting fruit can be a bonus.

Planting one of these trees is not a quick fix for the winter doldrums. If that's what you crave, plop a pony pack of pansies into a pot or cultivate a crop of calendulas. But if you're in it for the long haul and want to add invaluable structure and backbone to your winter landscape, consider the following trees.

California sycamore (Platanus racemosa)

Allow plenty of room for this California native, which may stretch to 75 feet or more, with its sturdy limbs sprawling 20 to 30 feet in each direction. Even its trunk takes on mammoth proportions. One in my back yard, with a triple trunk, measures more than 10 feet across.

Sycamores shed their bark in rough patches of white, gray, beige or green to reveal pale, smooth bark underneath. The bark darkens with age -- upper branches are often noticeably lighter in color. Over time, deep cracks start at the base and rise up the trunk. In winter, clusters of marble-sized, spiky balls hang from the branches. Bring the balls inside for dried flower arrangements.

Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia)

A bit iffy about going bare, Chinese elm may become more deciduous with age. Lingering leaves or not, its new bark is a soft, rich pink coupled with pale gray or brown. It grows into a round-headed tree standing 35 to 60 feet, with a somewhat broader stance. Its sturdy branches reach out parallel to the ground, then curve gracefully back toward earth.

Corkscrew willow or dragon claw (Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa')

Just like a real corkscrew, this willow curls and spirals its drooping branches into long, tight turns.

In summer, corkscrew willow forms a bright green dome of narrow leaves. But come winter, this willow becomes an arching fountain, spilling thousands of soft gray corkscrews. Uplighting the tree at night is spectacular. By day, the bark is a checkery gray.

Bring some of the bare branchesindoors and they are fantastic in a vase — as a single bunch or mixed in an arrangement.

Corkscrew willow grows fast to 25 to 30 feet and is a bit taller than wide. Like other willows, it guzzles water.

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Crape myrtle may be best known for its brilliant cones of pink, scarlet or purple summer flowers.

But the trees are beautiful in winter as well, when their fallen leaves reveal brown and gray bark that sheds in long strips, exposing new, pink bark underneath.

Pruned as a tree, crape myrtle eventually tops out at about 25 feet. Mildew can be a serious challenge. Look for named varieties in the Indian Tribes series, such as Muskogee or Natchez, which have been bred to resist mildew.

English walnut (Juglans regla)

Okay. So they’re messy, their fruit stains the pavement and plenty of people are allergic to their pollen. But if you have the room — or you inherited one or the crows planted it for you — English walnut can lend a dramatic, other-worldly presence to your garden.

English walnut has about the whitest bark around. With its thick, lumbering branches and sturdy stance, it looms like a barren ghost on the horizon. Be sure you like the look because you’ll have it for months: English walnuts are among the last trees to leaf out in spring.

European white birch (Betula pendula)

What a weeper. The slender branches of this birch reach skyward, take a sudden curve, then plummet back toward earth. The bark peels off in large patches, in shades of brown, black, gray and white. In winter, dried fruits that look like miniature pine cones (until they shatter into bits) dangle from the bare branches.

Due to its tall, lacy profile, European white birch is often planted in a grove of three, five or more trees. But over time, even one will fill a narrow, awkward space.

It grows fast with regular water. My 15-year-old tree lives happily at the edge of my lawn, where it’s now about 30 feet tall, 20 feet wide and has a trunk measuring more than a foot across at its base.

It bears noting that the Latin names of certain trees offer clues about their mature form. Here, “pendula” refers to branches that are pendulous or hanging down.

Gold Medallion Tree (Cassia leptophylla)

After this round-headed tree goes bare, unusual pods measuring up to 18 inches long dangle from its spreading branches.

That can be a blessing or a curse, depending on whether you find the square-edged pods attractive. They start out green, age to a dark brown and twist.

Gold medallion tree grows to about 25 feet. Its mop-head clusters of bright yellow flowers in summer are striking.

Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick (Corylus avellana “Contorta”)

The word “contorta” has been applied to this filbert for good reason. The pencil-thin branches twist in all sorts of contortions. Hanging from the bare, grayish-green branches in winter are small catkins that look just as mutant.

The common name pays tribute to Harry Lauder, a vaudeville performer who carried a twisted cane. For an up close show, plant this small tree in a large pot and water it regularly. Harry Lauder’s walking stick will eventually twist and curl its way up to 10 feet tall.

Joan S. Bolton is a freelance writer and garden designer who lives in Goleta. Her In the Garden column appears biweekly. She can be contacted at www.santabarbaragardens.com.