I don't know if Liquidambar styraciflua is as prone to keep its colorful foliage late into the year as it is here in northern California, but often trees will keep their foliage all winter long here, especially if they are in a more wind sheltered location. No other tree comes to mind that generally keeps its foliage so late. Of course, here in the SF Bay Area, we generally still have many trees with fall color very late into the year. Right now Gingkos, Liquidambars, Lagerstromeias, Pistachia chinensis, and Persimmons are all still in full color, even with the past few days of stronger winds.

Here on Vancouver Island I have a hydrangea quercifolia that still has burgundy leaves, at least that the deer haven't got yet. It's very pretty late into the fall.

Still have one sweet gum that has some burgundy leaves on it. 2 white swamp oaks and 1 pin oak still have most of their brown leaves. Other leaves gone, last holdout is a big curly willow, almost gone. The hurricane winds we've had this fall convinced the leaves to blow off. Have had several nights below freezing.

Wish I had more evergreens but do have quite a few and when they get older they will fill out the yard more. Hoping the camellias get big and thick and bushy and the eucalyptus survive and thrive. Several conifers are doing OK but some have started to brown a bit.

The quercus virginiana is doing well!

Unless a tree has wood strength like an oak, the leaves holding until winter can be rather destructive sometimes, due to the extra "sail" when wind and precipitation comes.

Leaves holding a log time into autumn, as been the nail in the coffin for many a sweet gum.

While working in Tigard on Bull Mntn. several weeks back, a call comes in on the cell phone from a lady in Sherwood. She says shes in Texas, and just got word that a tree snapped off in her yard - sure enough, it was a sweet gum with leaves.

No leaves on here maples or Stewartias - just the sweetgum. Next day removing it, I hear chainsaws in the park. What are they doing? Removing a bunch of busted tree parts. The trees? Sweetgums of course - leaves still on.

Very nice autumn color for sweetgum, but I'd take a Red Sunset maple any day for durability.

M. D. Vaden of Oregon

That's good to know about the sweet gums. I have 4; 2 regulars, 1 morraine, 1 variegated. The regulars hold on to their leaves much longer than the other 2, although the variegated is a baby and who knows what it will be like when it matures.

Good thing the oaks have stronger wood. Have 3 and 1 tiny baby volunteer, don't know what kind.

Planted 2 baby October Glory maples in the creeklets and they have more than doubled in size this past summer after planting. Both still have a few bright red leaves at their tip-top. Hope they survive because they look so healthy and may become spectacular trees.

Have 2 variegated French Beauty sequoias and 1 variegated Silver Dust leyland that are looking really nice this winter. Mourn the loss of leaves on the deciduous although the scarlet curly willow's branches are amazingly beautiful now in silhouette with colorful twisting branches, very interesting.

Big pile of leaves composting, will make worm bin happy.

MdVaden makes a good point. We had a windsrorm a few years ago in the Fall when just the Cottonwoods had their leaves.
They were the trees that fell over the most.

I'm not a fan of leaves staying on past Fall. Most look brown and ugly. Besides, who wants to rake leaves when the Spring bulbs are coming up? Pin Oaks come to mind first. They dribble leaves all winter long, driving a neat and tidy neighbor nuts.

Getting back to the original thread, an effective 'winterless forest' is one that combines mostly broadleaf evergreen plants with species that have other types of winter interest (flowers, fruit, bark). There's not a lot of deciduous plants that hold most of their leaves through the winter and still look attractive, and these frequently have other problems, as has been mentioned. Broadleaf evergreen trees that aren't too dark and/or flower in winter are great. You might look at Arbutus menziesii, A. unedo, A. 'Marina', Ilex purpurea, Maytenus boaria, Eucalyptus (any), Quercus hypoleucoides, Q. oblongifolia. Shrubs commonly recommended for winter interest include Hamamelis and Corylopsis, but I get a lot more flowers out of my hardy Grevilleas (also evergreen) some of which bloom all winter. You can also throw some evergreen foliage plants into the mix (bamboo, succulents) to complete the 'winterless' look.

Scarlet Oak, Quercus coccinea, has fantastic wine red Fall foliage, and keeps its color for well over a month. The leaves then hang on for a couple of more months. But I have never had wind damage. It's also a good tree to garden under: not too much shade, and deep-rooting.

The climate here (shores of Puget Sound) pretty much corresponds to the calendar seasons. Hybrid roses are often still in bloom in December, with many other plants still turning and shedding their leaves - as though they, too, think it's still autumn (my calendar says Winter Begins Dec. 22).

Climate and site permitting, broadleaf evergreens are the way to get year-round cheer and structure. But you'll need a banana belt location to make lasting use of kinds like arbutus, gums (eucalypts) and so on. Otherwise it's hardy rhododendrons (there is wide variation even in these), hollies, box etc. if you don't want to see sections of your planting die back or even die completely when it gets below 10F-15F - or bend down/snap off/break up when there are heavy snows/ice build-ups (as gums and other fast-growing southern hemisphere types and other non-adapted kinds are apt to do).

Seemingly small differences in distance from salt water and elevation are critical. I drove by some fuchsias still in full bloom in Seattle today, just north of Lake Union - no sign of frost exposure discernible from the road. Other sites in the area have had sub-freezing temperatures and snow recently.

Would you gain as much satisfaction by what may be an easier task - adding evergreens with foliage color, and decidious with other colorful characteristics?

I've seen Cryptomeria turn dark red in winter.

There are conifers with blue, golden foilate and cream color variegations.

And bark color on some maples and other species.

Also, big berries.

M. D. Vaden of Oregon

The reddish tree-like cryptomeria is 'Elegans'. Actually when it turns brick during the winter it has died, the normal coloring of healthy ones is purplish.

I have a friend who has a Elegans that turns brick red in the winter and comes back in the Spring. His is planted in what could be termed as a gravel pit and doesn't get adequate water or nutrients during the summer. Mine are planted in good, heavy soil, on a slope, and turn a nice purplish color in the winter. Here's one.
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Yes, they don't all turn out to have died when they turn red but it often proves to be the case come spring.

I don't always word my posts like I was preparing a legal document, it gets old.

It sure does Bboy.
There usually are additions, exceptions, corrections, and clarifications to a lot of what is said on the Forums. I was pointing out why some 'Elegans' are red and some aren't. Yes, turning red is usually not a good sign for them and indicates changes should be made as to how it is being grown, ...if it's not already too late.

They need a means for editing posts, like UBC Botanical Garden Forums do.

You sure are right about that editing need. GardenWeb is one of the rare ones that does not have the edit feature in addition to the preview.

I allow a 60 minute window of opportunity for changes to be made, and may consider 120.

Some like the lawn site allow just 10 minutes or so, which is barely enough if an after-thought arrives.

One or two arborist sites have near unlimited edit time - like days. That can tend to cause confusion if other users quote someone prior to editing.

It came up earlier on the appropriate forum here, the reply was basically "No can do".

What should be edited on this thread, and if so, why? Please explain.

Anything anyone wants to re-word.