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Among larger trees, on almost everyone's list would be the birches Betula spp. with white birch, B. papyrifera and European White Birch B. pendula probably being foremost. Well, here I would side with first the river birch, B. nigra. River birch is somewhat limited in its range to the central and south eastern US, but has wonderful bark, peeling in long curls and pinkish orange in color. This naturally river bottom tree will tolerate a wide range of soil conditions if given adequate light and often grows in a clump arrangement. It also has a fine branching habit. The yellow birch B. allegheniensis is also a favorite with its tight yellow curls of exfoliating bark. Maybe a little coarse in its overall impact, still something to catch the winter eye. The sweet birchB. lenta of birch beer fame is another fine winter interest tree. It has dark brown shiny bark punctuated with broad light colored lenticles. This birch may have the broadest range of all the birches. An added winter interest is the prospect of collecting sap for birch syrup. There are several other non native birches availabe in the trade, the most intriguing of which, from a winter interest standpoint, may be B. Alba-sinensis which has a reddish brown to orange red bark that has a whitish bloom to it. Supposedly hardy to zone 6, this tree looks to be a real catch for those who can obtain it.
Speaking of bark, who can resist the warty hackberry and the knobby persimmon barks. Both native eastern US trees that will grow about anywhere if given sunlight.
For sheer elegance of form in the winter landscape, two conifers come to mind. Not because of their greenery, but because of their lack of greenery. Bald cypress Taxodium distichum and dawn redwood Metasequoia glyptostroboides are deciduous evergreens, so to speak. They are conifers that drop all their needles every fall. These two trees reveal an exciting symmetry and exquisite form when they do their autumn shed. Both trees are amazingly tolerant of harsh conditions. They are real winter performers where large specimens are desirable.
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