It’s springtime finally! Everywhere you look there are beautiful trees in whites, pinks, and purples putting on quite a spectacular show displaying all their beautiful flowers. We all enjoy this scenery whether we are gardeners or not! Winter tried to hold on for a while but it is finally retreating and it brings on the season of blooms.
The redbud is usually the first to break out their purple or pink buds, catching our eyes as we move past them. They are an unusual bloomer because their flowers explode right along the stems, a very different blooming pattern than any other flowering tree. If you are interested in this one for your yard, it is a great small tree for landscaping, growing about twenty five feet tall and about the same in diameter. A particular variety, Forest Pansy, is a favorite among many gardeners as it has beautiful purple leaves which unfurl after the flowers. These leaves make it a standout in the garden all year long. The color in the leaves will retain their vibrant color if the tree gets some afternoon shade.
Additional spring flowering trees include the cherries, magnolias, dogwoods and serviceberry (amelanchier), all of which lend to the magnificent scenery surrounding us all during the springtime. Most of these beautiful trees are totally appropriate for the landscape surrounding a house because they are mostly within the 15-40 foot tall range, although the Southern Magnolia will grow to 80 feet so be sure of your varieties. A ‘Little Gem’ magnolia is a very small polite version and it has beautiful white flowers in the summertime. The Saucer magnolia is the version you will see blooming right now during spring, the flowers look like tulips, just beautiful!
Everyone knows that the place to see cherry trees in their entire splendor is in Washington DC, but these trees are everywhere so watch for them as you are out and about. The serviceberry is not as well known but they are wonderful small trees with flowers in the spring, and berries a bit later which are similar to blueberries and are wonderful to eat, that is if you beat the birds! But even if you don’t this is also one of the benefits, it is a great food supply for the wildlife.
Spring is a great time to plant any of these trees; here at Nature’s Friends we are able to help you pick the best flowering tree or trees to suit your landscape. We will find the ideal tree to blend in with your already established yard or forest area, and then we can place it and plant it correctly so it will grow into a happy flowering tree!
