- The paperbark maple (Acer griseum, height to 12m/40ft) is a beautiful small Chinese tree with shining cinnibar-red peeling bark, magical when slivers of bark are backlit by the sun.
- Birches give a lovely airy effect, the fluttering leaves casting a veil rather than a shadow.
- Luma apiculata, also known as Myrtus apiculata (10m/33ft) is a very distinctive, slow-growing small tree. The beautiful, orange-brown, suede-like bark peels away to expose the creamy inner surface.
- The coyote willow (Salix exigua, 9m/30ft), from western North America and Mexico, is an elegant little willow, with silky, slender leaves that become more silvery and light catching as summer advances.
- Every time I see Prunus serrula (height to 15m/50ft), one of the cherries, I wonder why I'm not growing it, for its marvellous, shining mahogany bark.
- Crataegus orientalis (formerly C. laciniata, 7m/23ft) is a thorn tree with downy, silver-grey leaves. The fruits, which appear in quantity every second year or so, are like little orange-red apples.
- The Siberian pea tree (Caragana arborescens 'Lorbergii', height to 6m/20ft) is really a shrub, but you can train it to look like a graceful, slow-growing little tree by limbing it up. Pale yellow pea flowers appear
For more hints, tips and advice on creating and maintaining a gorgeous garden, buy Helen Dillon's Garden Book (Frances Lincoln Ltd).
Source: House & Home Magazine
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