Reader's question

ROBERT from Easington is disappointed in his garden. It has looked lovely from spring through to autumn, but there is no interest in winter. He has some evergreen plants but wants some examples of trees or shrubs with colourful barks that might light up his sombre winter mood.

ONE of the most striking trees to spring to life at this time of year is the silver birch. There are more than 60 types of silver birch or betula and, as they flower, the trees attract small birds to feed. Larger birds, such as magpies and jackdaws, also make use of the birch by ripping off the bark to use to soften their nests. The most popular type of birch in recent years has proven to been the betula utilis var. jacquemontii, because of its upright stance and soft apricot colour. Some specimens are sold ‘multitrunked’, giving the illusion the tree has been coppiced and re-grown with three or four stems and the effect, especially with under-lighting is spectacular.

The silver birch flowers from April to May and bears fruit in June. Throughout most of the year it is just another tree, but in winter it really stands out from the crowd.

The dogwoods (corus) really come alive in winter as well. There are so many varieties and colours to choose from, from bright, lime greens to mid-greens, bright pinks, oranges and reds. They all benefit from a good haircut every year; you will miss out on flowers, but on the whole, they are fairly inconspicuous and not as show-stopping as the coppiced stems.

Prunus serrula may have pretty flowers in the spring, but it is the shiny, deep coppery-red bark that sets it apart from the other trees from late autumn through to early spring. The old bark flakes away and peels off revealing fresh new growth.

The acers are another family that have a wide variety of attractive specimens, but one in particular helps add winter interest to any garden and that is the snake bark maple (acer grisium). As its name suggests it has an interesting textured bark of a dark green colour.

Apart from barks, continue to ensure that there are plenty of evergreen plants dotted around the garden, and try and leave some of the dead foliage from the summer perennials which, even though they don’t have colour or flowers, can add architectural interest, especially in heavy frosts and snows.

Jobs this week

■ Give alpine beds a revamp by pulling out weeds, dead heading finished flowers, cutting back spent foliage and topping up the gravel.

■ Brussels sprouts can become quite top heavy as they start to put on a lot of leaf growth. Their tiny root balls can often be pulled out of the ground in windy conditions. To help them stay fixed and upright, draw up soil from around the plant and mound it around the base of the stem.

■ As the winter nights begin to bite hard, protect the exposed crowns, stems and leaf growth of semi-tender perennials by wrapping fleece, newspaper or straw around them. A good tip is to place an empty hanging basket over smaller vulnerable plants and fill it with loosely packed straw or hay.

* Brigid presents the BBC Tees ‘Green Gardening & Great Outdoors’ show every Sunday from 11-2pm. Questions can be answered on the day by emailing brigid.press@bbc.co.uk anytime during the week, or texting 07786-200995 and phoning 01642-225511 during the show.

Written queries can be addressed to Brigid at East Durham College, Houghall, Durham, County Durham, DH1 3SG.