Garden Mastery Tips
from Clark County Master Gardeners

November/December 1999

Winter-Wonderful Paperbark Maple and Coast Silk Tassel

Paperbark Maple

Pick a spot in your yard that you see several times a day during the winter - probably from a window where you work at a table, desk, or sink; or from a chair where you read, watch television, or do needlework. In that spot you should have a shrub or tree with interesting bark. The paperbark maple (Acer griseum) offers eye-catching exfoliating bark and a splendid silhouette of branch patterns in winter. The rich mahogany bark, as it ages, peels away from the trunk and primary branches in paper-thin sheets, revealing cinnamon-colored new bark underneath.

This native of China grows slowly to form an upright tree, in time rather rounded, and ultimately (in 50 years?) 25 or 30 feet tall. If you decide that this is a plant for you, keep in mind that such a tree should not have to compete with other specimens noted for their striking bark. Separate such specimens by putting them in different parts of your yard, or by planting evergreens between them.

A good partner for the maple might be Lonicera nitida 'Baggesen's Gold', a variety of box honeysuckle with vibrant gold foliage which turns to a bronzy russet or plum color during the coldest part of the winter; or one of the golden variegated cultivars of Euonymus fortunei.

Perhaps an evergreen shrub with unique winter flowers has more appeal than peeling bark? The male plants of the Coast Silk Tassel (Garrya elliptica) sport spectacular pale grey or grey-green silky catkins, three to eight inches long, between November and February. The catkins of the cultivar Garrya elliptica 'James Roof' can be eight to fourteen inches in length. Sources do not agree on just how to properly site this shrub, but it appears that protection from cold winter winds would be helpful, as would planting against a wall or fence. Its normal height in the Pacific Northwest is eight to ten feet. For smaller gardens, a natural hybrid called 'Pat Ballard' is recommended; and for very tight spaces (even a tub on a deck), Garrya buxifolia, which gets only four to five feet tall, is a good choice. Some suggested companions for the Silk Tassel are hellebores, Iris unguicularis, Jasminum nudiflorum, mahonias, and early narcissi.

For more information on plants that provide above-average winter interest, we suggest the following resources. With the exception of the Cox and Taylor titles, they are available through your local branch of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library.

Cox, Jeff. Plant Marriages. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993.

Grant, John A. and Carol L. Grant. Trees and Shrubs for Pacific Northwest Gardens. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 1990.

Heriteau, Jacqueline. The National Arboretum Book of Outstanding Garden Plants. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990.

Hinkley, Daniel J. Winter Ornamentals. Seattle, Washington: Sasquatch Books, 1993.

Kelly, John, ed. The Hillier Gardener's Guide to Trees and Shrubs. Pleasantville, New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 1995.

The Sunset Western Garden Book. Menlo Park, California: Sunset Publishing Corporation, 1995.

Taylor, Patrick. The 500 Best Garden Plants. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 1993.