Coral Bark Maple

On gray, rainy days like this one, we welcome color in the landscape. Perhaps that's why coral bark maples (Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku') are so popular here.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'

These bright red branches really brighten up the day - there aren't many trees that look this good without their leaves on. 

Coral bark maples belong to the big, beautiful family of Japanese maples that thrive in the Pacific Northwest. Like other members of this family, these maples do best when they have some protection from full sun, western exposures. Given part-sun conditions, they require minimal summer watering once established. 

Coral bark maples are well suited to small urban gardens. Their mature height is rarely above 25'; width can be between 15' and 20'. They have an attractive vase-shape that needs little or no pruning. Their new growth tends to be twiggy, as you see above, but a little bit of judicious thinning will shape them up nicely. 

These trees offer year around beauty. In addition to the bright, coral-colored branches in winter, they have attractive light green foliage in spring and summer. In fall, their leaves turn a stunning, clear yellow - every bit as eye-catching as the branches.

Coral bank maples are available in Seattle-area nurseries now. 

Taking a Stroll Through the Witt Winter Garden

For me, one of the highlights of the winter season in Seattle is visiting the Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum. We had an unusual stretch of mild weather this past week, so I was able to make my annual visit without dodging raindrops. Here are some photos:

This is the entrance to the garden, lined with red and yellow witch hazels (Hamamelis sp.) in full bloom. I wish I could somehow send you the fragrance of this garden. The air is perfumed with the scents of witch hazels and vanilla plant (Sarcococca sp.)

Here is a close up of the tiny, white, intensely fragrant flowers of Sarcococca confusa.

It might still be winter, but this garden has lots of color and contrast this time of year. Here is a yellow twig dogwood (Cornus stolonifera 'Flaviramea') with a mass planting of black mondo grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens') at its feet.

If it's flower color you are craving, here's a winter blooming Rhododendron hybrid. You will also find several Camellia sasanquas in this garden, some with pink flowers, some with white.

There are several varieties of hellebores in this garden, this one is Helleborus foetidus. It is called "stinking" hellebore because the plant leaves and flowers give off an unpleasant smell when crushed. I also saw some pale yellow Helleborus orientalis, or Lenten rose, in full bloom, and others with deep purple blooms about to open.

And here, like strings of pearls, are the elegant catkins of the native silktassel (Garrya elliptica 'Issaquahensis')

Pink cyclamen bloom at the base of a Japanese stewartia (Stewartia monadelpha), a tree noted for its beautiful bark. There are many more wonderful plants to see in this garden. If you live in the Seattle area and never visited it before, treat yourself to a stroll through this garden from late January through February. It will open your eyes and your senses to the pleasures of gardens in winter.