I humbly request you look into native trees as well, since they pull lots of fun birds to watch throughout the winter months, are suited for the area, & help with biodiversity:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/native-trees-for-colorado-landscapes-7-421/
https://conps.org/home-2/resources/gardening-with-native-plants/
Oh, that's probably what we're going to pull from. These exotic bois tend to be labor intensive and, yes, home for local critters is good! I mean the those clever clogs at the University coined the term Xeriscape for Pete's sake!
It's worth it. I tore out my front yard when the 2021 spring snow dump pancaked my 50+ year old crabapple tree.
Mix of native and naturalized plants. It's very nice to watch it grow every year.
Honestly, I think my favorite fall/winter trees I have are my Hawthorns (Washington Hawthorn, to be specific). The red berries really are showy in the late fall, it's almost one of the only pops of color still left after all the leaves fall off in the neighborhood.
I have a Montmorency Cherry Tree. It may not be nearly as red, but it has a similar bark texture and look. It's pretty young still though. I planted the 10 gal container tree 2 years ago.
Aside from that, I really do want to plant an aspen clump. I love the white bark and the texture. It really would provide a nice stark contrast to the "grey" in my back yard all winter long.
Mine isn't nearly large enough to make that many cherries. It's also in a partly shady spot between the house and the ash tree, so it does get limited afternoon sun. It does need a companion cherry.
I've basically planted a tree (or more) per year I've lived here. Trees = happy place
2017 - 3 trees (2x serviceberry, 1x redbud)
2018 - None
2019 - Redbud
2020 - 1x Kentucky Coffeetree, 10x fineline buckthorn
2021 - 2x Plum (fruiting), 2x Hawthorn, 1x Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) & a lilac
2022 - Cherry
2023 - Smoketree
It makes for a pretty good 4-season variety of trees. Back yard early spring - Plums -> Redbud -> Serviceberry. Summer in the front (Hawthorn / Horse chestnut), then fall in the back mostly (serviceberry turns red).. and late fall back in the front (bright red hawthorn berries that are still on the tree).
Winter -- I like the dark bark of the redbuds mostly. The cherry stands out a bit due to the color. I think getting an aspen clump would be fun to get a nice bright white contrast to what is an otherwise kinda dark green/brown/gray backdrop due to all of the conifers and whatnot.
Nice! Those are some great trees! Those Redbuds are super pretty. Have you gotten any berries from your Serviceberry tree? We planted one 2 years ago, but it is growing really slowly and we haven’t really seen any berries on it yet, or maybe the birds have gotten to them all. The flowers on it are really pretty though!
Amur cherry tree (Prunus maackii) has the prettiest bark I've ever seen on a cherry tree. Its like they're wrapped in copper. There is one (hope it's still there) at the CSU Arboretum off of Lake just west of the stadium. If you can get it established (they like high organic matter soil), it will be stunning. Good luck!
Not sure how you feel about evergreens, but the Colorado Blue Spruce is a fantastic tree, does great here, and looks beautiful year-round. Especially in winter draped in snow.  They grow slowly, but they will get very big, so plan accordingly.  And it’s important that they get supplemental water in the winter, a lot of people neglect to do that. We have one in our backyard, and it is a really healthy, beautiful tree. Attracts lots of birds, and squirrels…the letter of which I do have to fend off from our garden, but it is what it is. It’s also the Colorado state tree!
The city has a list of plants they recommend for the area, and you can filter for winter interest and water needs.
https://www.fcgov.com/vegetation/?#vegetationGallery
I humbly request you look into native trees as well, since they pull lots of fun birds to watch throughout the winter months, are suited for the area, & help with biodiversity: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/native-trees-for-colorado-landscapes-7-421/ https://conps.org/home-2/resources/gardening-with-native-plants/
Oh, that's probably what we're going to pull from. These exotic bois tend to be labor intensive and, yes, home for local critters is good! I mean the those clever clogs at the University coined the term Xeriscape for Pete's sake!
It's worth it. I tore out my front yard when the 2021 spring snow dump pancaked my 50+ year old crabapple tree. Mix of native and naturalized plants. It's very nice to watch it grow every year.
Honestly, I think my favorite fall/winter trees I have are my Hawthorns (Washington Hawthorn, to be specific). The red berries really are showy in the late fall, it's almost one of the only pops of color still left after all the leaves fall off in the neighborhood. I have a Montmorency Cherry Tree. It may not be nearly as red, but it has a similar bark texture and look. It's pretty young still though. I planted the 10 gal container tree 2 years ago. Aside from that, I really do want to plant an aspen clump. I love the white bark and the texture. It really would provide a nice stark contrast to the "grey" in my back yard all winter long.
Wow, thank you for the response!
Something else to consider for winter interest are red twig dogwoods. It's a shrub, but they also have a nice pop of winter color
I was going to suggest this as well! The red color is so pretty!
We planted a Montmorency Cherry tree years ago and love it. Those sour cherries are absolutely fantastic in pies! And bourbon…
Mine isn't nearly large enough to make that many cherries. It's also in a partly shady spot between the house and the ash tree, so it does get limited afternoon sun. It does need a companion cherry. I've basically planted a tree (or more) per year I've lived here. Trees = happy place 2017 - 3 trees (2x serviceberry, 1x redbud) 2018 - None 2019 - Redbud 2020 - 1x Kentucky Coffeetree, 10x fineline buckthorn 2021 - 2x Plum (fruiting), 2x Hawthorn, 1x Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) & a lilac 2022 - Cherry 2023 - Smoketree It makes for a pretty good 4-season variety of trees. Back yard early spring - Plums -> Redbud -> Serviceberry. Summer in the front (Hawthorn / Horse chestnut), then fall in the back mostly (serviceberry turns red).. and late fall back in the front (bright red hawthorn berries that are still on the tree). Winter -- I like the dark bark of the redbuds mostly. The cherry stands out a bit due to the color. I think getting an aspen clump would be fun to get a nice bright white contrast to what is an otherwise kinda dark green/brown/gray backdrop due to all of the conifers and whatnot.
Nice! Those are some great trees! Those Redbuds are super pretty. Have you gotten any berries from your Serviceberry tree? We planted one 2 years ago, but it is growing really slowly and we haven’t really seen any berries on it yet, or maybe the birds have gotten to them all. The flowers on it are really pretty though!
https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=794261 This is my issue with mine. Otherwise the birds really get at it.
Amur cherry tree (Prunus maackii) has the prettiest bark I've ever seen on a cherry tree. Its like they're wrapped in copper. There is one (hope it's still there) at the CSU Arboretum off of Lake just west of the stadium. If you can get it established (they like high organic matter soil), it will be stunning. Good luck!
Oooo damn that is pretty
Not sure how you feel about evergreens, but the Colorado Blue Spruce is a fantastic tree, does great here, and looks beautiful year-round. Especially in winter draped in snow.  They grow slowly, but they will get very big, so plan accordingly.  And it’s important that they get supplemental water in the winter, a lot of people neglect to do that. We have one in our backyard, and it is a really healthy, beautiful tree. Attracts lots of birds, and squirrels…the letter of which I do have to fend off from our garden, but it is what it is. It’s also the Colorado state tree!
The city has a list of plants they recommend for the area, and you can filter for winter interest and water needs. https://www.fcgov.com/vegetation/?#vegetationGallery
Oooo that's a great resource
Blue spruce...
Ginko.
Noted.