I am squinting into the winter sun and I know I should not complain after what I think has been the dullest year ever. As I look across the study, dust particles catch the light and glint. Then time spins backwards to the day when I asked my father, nose buried in book, what dust was. The male eyesight doesn’t seem to register dust, but he carefully acquiesced and explained that dust was present at all times on every day of the year, just like the stars in the firmament. I wasn’t convinced of either. Years later, as a young mother with two girls under 18 months, I donned sunglasses every time I sat down inside at this time of year. Only then could I blank out the reality and rest without guilt, unaffected by the dancing particles I felt had escaped my attention. Then I was able to bury my own nose in a book. Blame that low winter sun glinting through the windows in the run-up to the shortest day, which falls on December 21 this year. It may cause housewives to groan, but outside that same low winter works a different magic. This is the season when trees shine: when their bark turns into a tapestry, or gets imprinted with dots and dashes like visual Morse code. Above, their overhead canopies display fine tracery that shines against winter skies. The birches are especially good now and many have dark, twiggy growth set above paler trunks. Everyone knows and admires the Himalayan birches with their pearly white trunks. These are normally listed under Betula utilis var. jacquemontii. It’s best to buy a named form from a good nursery. My very favourite is Grayswood Ghost, but Doorenbos, Jermyns and Silver Shadow are AGM winners too. They can all be bought from The Bluebell Nursery and Arboretum, near Ashby de la Zouch. (01530 413700/ www.bluebellnursery.com).

It’s also possible to get multi-stemmed birches which produce three trunks from the ground. These are particularly good for small gardens as they make more impact on the eye. Any ornamental tree needs to shine in its own space, so don’t tuck them into dull corners, or crowd them. They should be focal points. Erman’s birch (B.ermanii) is a Chinese native with a soft-pink bark. There is a very fine form called Grayswood Hill, named after the Haslemere garden of the Pilkington family, and not to be confused with the white-stemmed Grayswood Ghost. The Chinese red birch, B.albosinensis, with its smooth reddish-brown bark peels attractively and in winter sun the bare edges resemble golden shreds of marmalade. Or if you’re damper, for all the birches I’ve mentioned like reasonable drainage, opt for a river birch such as B. nigra Heritage. This develops a thick shaggy trunk which is extremely handsome. Whichever tree you choose, for added winter splendour, try to pick it yourself from the nursery. Most fine ornamental trees are now container grown, but don’t order a very large and expensive one unless you need an instant hit. It’s likely to have been pushed into an upright shape by its near neighbours and, being mature, it will take more time to settle and romp away. Try to plant in spring, or early autumn.