...but sometimes it's a Dogwood - to wit, the images below from Cornus kousa specimens.
But I digress from the point. I came from here (http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1408687/) with the inspiration to inspire gardeners - as noted by Wee and many others - to enjoy plants for more than just flowers, fruit, and fall color.
There's bark in them there woods.
Enjoy...
This message was edited Nov 14, 2015 8:48 PM
And to add to Wee's lustful nature, here are a few modest Acer triflorum flaunting like floozies...
I'm going to veer all over the place, like chasing that loose dog with its nose to the ground.
Barking at nothing and everything - try a Sweetgum on for size...Liquidambar styraciflua.
Now, that was a corker, wasn't it...
Hee haw - let's move along to a more reserved stature tree that more gardens ought to enjoy. Don't let its name frost you - Syringa pekinensis 'China Snow' is a graceful and refined creature.
Wow, some stately kousa senior citizens!
And those sweetgums are totally amazing - surely not typical?
I've seen plenty of sweetgums, but never noticed that particular trait.
But maybe I've just never noticed.
And of course I loved the A triflorum in full fall regalia. Nice!
I always have admired stripe bark maples also, but they haven't been very successful for me.
I also planted a Zelkova sinensis and Z schneideriana about 20 yrs ago because they're supposed to have awesome bark with maturity.
Since they're still scrawny saplings, I don't think I'll be around to admire either one.
Well Wee...wow!
I already loaded the following, so I'll just have to get to some of those suggestions later.
Now, here's one that you will just have to enjoy in a great plant collection somewhere. The Dove Tree (Davidia involucrata) is renowned for difficulty in cultivation, but when done well - well...
To answer the questions above more fully:
Those Kousa Dogwoods are from a variety of locations. If folks prefer, I can identify them and any of the images posted - or just leave you to drool like a big ol' Bloodhound awaiting your next meal.
Sweetgum (as well as some other species to come) can show pretty quirky corky twigs, and not that unusually. It helps to be in the business of looking at trees all the time to notice, but the above example is growing in a nice landscape outside Washington, DC - some of you may have heard of Brookside Gardens.
I also run across this trait in seedling Sweetgum trees growing in native situations around Louisville, as well as in nursery stock that are not clonal selections. But isn't that the point of this epistle? Look closer...
I don't think I have many images of striped bark maple species - but I'll look around. Zelkova serrata I do have - in spades. Take a peek...
Gotta go for some of my namesakes...
Viburnum molle - the inimitable Kentucky Viburnum, and tough to find - is one of the very few species in this genus of which one might remark on the bark.
A run-of-the-mill (!) species for many of us in the eastern US - Crape-myrtle - is replete with an array of amazing expressions of all things bark.
Lolligag lustily upon Lagerstroemia...
Lustilly lolligaging I am! How mature are the Lagerstroemia specimens in #1 and #3?
Not that it really matters, I've been trying the last two years to germinate Davidia involucrata. I can't even get it going let alone cultivate it.
Now that's barking up the right tree!
From the precipitating post: Kentucky Coffee-tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) was mentioned and illustrated. Here's a few more images of that hometown boy - or girl...
And who would need an introduction to the Lacebark Pine - Pinus bungeana?
It is stellar in all its forms...
Thanks for the introduction, I needed that one...wow...
Wow, VV, lots of great examples. I have always appreciated bark texture and sought out bark-y trees with the hope of admiring them in my dotage. Unfortunately, dotage seems to be arriving more quickly for me than for the plants. As mentioned above, my potentially spectacular zelkovas refuse to progress beyond puberty. And others, including P bungeana, keep getting themselves killed for one reason or another. I have a remaining bungeana toddler, which I'm hoping will make it (survived a recent deer mauling). I have a davidia which is 20 yrs old and has yet to bloom. I planted it before the early-blooming versions were on the scene, so I'm still waiting patiently. So far the trunk shows no resemblance to your pictures - I guess I'll wait for the trunk characteristics to mature about the same time as it blooms for the first time.
I love great pictures of mature trees, and I'm sure other perusers of this forum do also, so keep 'em coming!!
I will do so, as time permits. Meanwhile, all are welcome to add to this parade with versions of the same species and additional ones to be offered.
I have many images of many species, but it is often difficult to find what I'm looking for. Working on that, but in the meantime...
Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple) has been mentioned repeatedly. Here are a few examples to contemplate.
**A young tree in my mother's garden, Nicholasville KY
**Three trees I saw planted in the late 1980s at Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati OH
**Some fine old trees in Durand Eastman Park, Rochester NY
**One of those trees, with a spousal scale
**The 108 year old original tree at the Arnold Arboretum, Boston MA
I have a davidia which is 20 yrs old and has yet to bloom. I planted it before the early-blooming versions were on the scene, so I'm still waiting patiently. So far the trunk shows no resemblance to your pictures - I guess I'll wait for the trunk characteristics to mature about the same time as it blooms for the first time.
No photos came through, so edited out...
This message was edited Nov 15, 2015 10:21 PM
So you may say...but its trick is a treat!
Another much-maligned tree, but - to me - Magnificent...Platanus occidentalis - our very own American Plane, or more affectionately known as Sycamore.
**Fabulous old tree - matched only by the 12" caliper Vitis sp. climbing in it - in Warsaw KY
**Upshot of specimen in Louisville KY park
**Fine tree growing at Overbrook Farm, Lexington KY
**Why Platanus occidentalis defines the stability of creekside environments, Louisville KY
**What else can I say?
This message was edited Nov 15, 2015 10:22 PM
I have a davidia which is 20 yrs old and has yet to bloom. I planted it before the early-blooming versions were on the scene, so I'm still waiting patiently. So far the trunk shows no resemblance to your pictures - I guess I'll wait for the trunk characteristics to mature about the same time as it blooms for the first time.
I have a davidia which is 20 yrs old and has yet to bloom. I planted it before the early-blooming versions were on the scene, so I'm still waiting patiently. So far the trunk shows no resemblance to your pictures - I guess I'll wait for the trunk characteristics to mature about the same time as it blooms for the first time.
Oops -- not sure how I pulled that off.
Wow, VV, you are digging into the archives. Geez, I have nice legs. If only they weren't about a foot longer...
I hear the Dogs barking again, so attention I must pay...
From a young tree at the Valley (first two images) to a group of old specimens in an arboretum (last three images), this species is far too seldom used for being so easy to grow.
The Japanese Cornel Dogwood - or as I prefer to refer to it, so that someone might remember - the Japanese Cherry Dogwood: Cornus officinalis...
The various Stewartias are nice, too. There are several species successfully stewarded in landscapes in the eastern US, with the Japanese Stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia) being most available, but Tall Stewartia (Stewartia monadelpha) ranking right up there.
Then - there's the national repository garden at Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, MA on Martha's Vineyard. There's nothing left to say...
**Dawes Arboretum, Newark OH
**A couple shots from Arnold Arboretum, Boston MA
**A couple shots from Polly Hill Arboretum, West Tisbury MA
Oops -- not sure how I pulled that off.
Wow, VV, you are digging into the archives. Geez, I have nice legs. If only they weren't about a foot longer...
Well it makes me barking mad that out of all those I could have lucked out with, I got a run-of-the-mill Acer saccharum. What I like about interesting bark...it's at eye friggin level.
Yes Pseudo, nice legs.
Edited to spell properly...
This message was edited Nov 17, 2015 4:43 PM
I forgot about a poor underappreciated tree in my yard who's about as barky as a tree can get.
This is a Pinus thunbergiana 'corky bark' (nishiki matsu) cultivar.
It's meant to be for bonsai enthusiasts.
For those less enthusiastic about the rigors of bonsai (such as myself), it is still a pretty interesting tree.
It's about 8ft tall now.
Since I've given up on bonsai'ing him, I'm sort of leaving him to his own growth pattern.
Not sure how he'll come out, but here's where we stand for now.
Fortunately, he's still as corky as can be.
Hard to get a clear view of the whole tree, but the trunk is nicely chunky.
In the first post picture number three caught my attention with the large rock specimen in the distance!
Some great barking going on here.
Chunky & funky -- I like it!
With all the dog talk, it might be missed that my Cats were not bedeviled tonight...
But on with the countdown! How 'bout all you Hep-cats?
Heptacodium miconioides, that is...
ouch ...
All well-meaning and friendly competition - bad puns included...
If you're not hepped up by the Seven Son Flower, then maybe you'll get hopped up on Hophornbeam - Ostrya virginiana.
You've got me all hopped up and I haven't even touched the Humulus lupulus. Ye ha! It's amazing how different Ostrya looks in an open grown setting like you've shown in the first pics. Where did you find that one if I may ask?
This tree just can't seem to make its way into the gardening public around here. I planted one a few years ago, but it's painfully slow to get established, which is the nature of this nifty native. I love the branch structure on it.
Ask, and ye shall receive...
The first three images above are of two trees I steward in Memorial Park, Louisville KY. Notice the location of the mosaic wall in the background, to determine which pic is of which tree.
I first observed these specimens in 1994, when I began working for Louisville Metro Parks as a summer intern student earning my degree in landscape architecture after a career in landscape management/horticulture. Summer is not the optimum time to notice that "this tree is not like the others" - but having the habit of close observation rather than solely gross appreciation, I realized that these trees demonstrated a significant difference from other typical park trees: the flaky exfoliating bark.
A couple looks, double-takes, and then examination of twigs/buds/leaves - and nascent puffing up seeds - led me to understand that these were indeed American Hophornbeam. As Pseudo stated, these weren't no ordinary Ostrya!
Planted in the late 1970s when the park was designed and constructed on a recent Urban Renewal demolition site, these two trees were replacements for more mundane Sugar Maple that were in the original planting design. Knowing now that this property is barely more than a skim of topsoil over construction (demolition) debris, we should be thankful for the substitution of this species - very tolerant of dry and spare soils - versus more traditional species that would have (and still do) suffer in such conditions. Now approaching 40 years on site, they demonstrate a mature open-grown form that fools most anyone asked to ID them from any distance.
I had the honor to perform a re-design for this park in the early 2000s. Path alignment and drainage needed modification, and restoration of the amphitheater feature were primary scope items. While some failing trees were sacrificed to realign the walks and provide appropriate grading space so paths wouldn't puddle, I made sure that these trees retained their place of honor and were well-protected. They have survived multiple ice storms, -20ºF winters, heavy snows, debilitating droughts, and typical urban park user insults. They rank high on my list of tough, durable, and yet refined trees for any but the wettest landscapes.
Here are a few more images of these two Ostrya, strutting their formidable stuff...
There's a beer brewed in Wisconsin called Fat Squirrel. I think I know where they got the name...
Ostrya is much better suited to our local soils than Carpinus, which it is often compared with. You'll see them growing together in northern woods, but Carpinus definitely prefers moist soils. The latter is a bit more refined and can have spectacular fall color, but Ostrya is definitely worth a look.
Great story for a great looking tree.
ViburnumValley, does this bark crack look familiar?
I would like to clarify that this picture was not taken at the Walmart in Dog Walk, KY.
