Bark is the outer covering of main trunks, woody stems, branches and roots of trees and other woody plants, as distinguished from the cambium and inner wood. Many trees grown for bark look better as the tree matures and need to be grown in enough space to develop. Some of the following varieties are best in Parkland or woods.

Top Ten Trees for Bark

1. The above Prunus ‘Bird Cherry’ bark looks very colourful in strong sunshine.
2. Acers often have interesting bark try Acer rufinerve with distinctive green bark and patterns of greyish markings particularly good on old trunks.
3. Betula Papyrifera or the Paper-bark birch has shining white bark, the large leaves turning pale gold early autumn. The native birch bark can be effective but some varieties are dirty grey in colour so take care when selecting plants.
4. Parrottia Persica has grey bark flaking away in a pattern resembling the London Plane. It is early flowering and the leaves turn brilliant gold and crimsons in Autumn.
5. Arbutus x Arachnoides strawberry tree has a distinctive trunk and branches that are a cinnamon red.
6. Zelkova Sinica with smooth grey bark which peels away in scales to reveal a rusty-colored under bark.
7. Eucalyptus has several species with interesting, peeling, grey bark and scented leaves when crushed.
8. Juglans Nigra Or the black walnut with grey, deeply furrowed bark is quite striking.
9. The Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris is too large for most gardens but smooth pink or red bark in the upper part of the tree is worth looking for.
10. The well-named Redwood Sequoia never loses its astonishing red colour but again it is a large tree.

For more read Bark

The roots, knott holes and boles of trees can also have there attractions and are worth developing and cultivating if you have the space.

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