Hi, 

What a great opportunity! It will be nice to have something to bring your house into scale on the corner.

Crapemyrtle and River Birch are options for trees with interesting bark; however, we don't think those would be the best choices. 

Crapemyrtle are largly overplanted in our built landscapes and in recent years has suffered from scale insect outbreaks, which can cause a buildup of sooty mold on the leaves. It doesn't usually kill the trees, but it can weaken them and cause them to look unsightly. They can also commonly get powdery mildew on the leaves and flower buds, which can cause them not to bloom and aphid issues. You can review some of their problems on our crapemyrtle diagnostic page. There are some replacement tree options listed towards the bottom of the page, which are broken down by flowers, interesting bark, etc. 

Riverbirch, while being a native tree, may not be the best choice for that space because it can get rather large, have weak branching, which can cause it to break in heavy snow or ice, prefer wetter areas, and have extensive root systems. They also tend to be messy trees and drop small branches often, which makes mowing in the area a bit of a pain. 

A nice, small to medium-sized native tree is American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana). The bark on the trunk has a smooth and muscley appearance as it grows, which could be highlighted with some soft uplighting. Additionally, it has rich fall color and attractive catkins in the spring. 

If you like the multi-stemmed tree look, you could explore Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virgiana). They have the additional benefit of shite magnolia blooms, and red fruit with interesting seedpods. 

There are a variety of options to explore, and the plant list on the diagnostic page is a good place to start. We don't keep a list of businesses that have tree species in stock, but you can view the list of certified native plant retailers on the Maryland Native Plant Program page. There are also tree coupons available from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that you can print and use at certain retailers. On the DNR website, on the left side, there are other links and publications to explore tree species. 

If you have further questions as you narrow down some options, we're here to help! 

Happy Holidays!

Emily

You're welcome!