Bring a bounty of blooms to your landscape
While gardeners often extol the virtues of fine bark and winter passion, let's not kid ourselves—flower power reigns supreme. A tree that is a majestic focal point for most of the year can be transformed into a stunning centerpiece with spectacular blooms. Spring-blooming trees often occupy prime garden real estate, but for some easy, unexpected floral elegance, planting trees that bloom in late summer, fall, or winter is truly worthwhile. Many of my favorites have stunning displays when they are not in bloom. Here are some great choices for you to consider.
1. ‘Appalachian Red’ redbud illuminates the garden with a unique hue
Redbud should be on every list of spring-flowering trees. If I had to choose just one for its color and impact, this is it. New cultivars with unique growing patterns or foliage have flooded the market, but cultivars with distinct flower colors are difficult to find. In this category, 'Appalachian Red' is a real standout with its reddish-pink, pale flowers. Discovered 30 years ago by Max Birgitt along the Appalachian Trail in Maryland, this is a true classic that will set your spring garden apart from the crowd.
2. Japanese flowering apricot adorns its bare branches with graceful, timeless blooms
On a gray-sky week in late January, I can often count on this early bloom to brighten my day. "Underutilized" is an understatement for this delightful little tree that really should be grown more widely. Japanese apricots bloom when some other trees bloom. Hundreds of cultivars are available in shades of pink, white and red, and in single and double forms. Its season of beauty is extended by its peeling bark, which reveals beautiful cinnamon where it falls.
3. ‘Humilis’ red buckeye is a perfect fit for smaller landscapes
When first planted, 'Humilis' is shrub-like, but as it matures it gradually becomes a small deciduous tree. Its leaves emerge early in the season, and the 4- to 8-inch flowers appear to float above the leaves. These often appear when the fear of frostbite begins to fade. Compared to upright species that can grow 20 or 30 feet tall, 'Humilis' has a more compact stature, and its flower clusters are smaller.
4. Bigleaf magnolia could easily become a neighborhood landmark
With 2- or 3-foot-tall, 16-inch flowers and leaves, bigleaf magnolia looks too tropical for words. In fact, it has the largest simple leaves and flowers of any North American deciduous tree. It prefers a sheltered location with moist, rich soil. Give yourself plenty of room to grow; If its loose pyramidal habit isn't crowded, its limbs often stretch low and wide, bringing those spectacular flowers to eye level.
5. American smoke tree provides airy texture and sizzling fall color
Seeing an American smoke tree in its full glory is a real experience. Individual flowers are small and inconspicuous, but spent flower clusters turn into large, smoky pink puffs as the season progresses. After this fade, its fall foliage stands out as one of the most vibrant and uniform of North American native trees. Over time, this plant turns from a large bush into a beautiful and unique small tree.
6. Empress of China dogwood flowers for weeks on end
China Dogwood Empress will surprise you. First, it remains completely evergreen during the winter months, and finally sheds its leaves in the spring when new foliage begins to appear. Second, it blooms much later than garden-worthy dogwoods. A mature tree is covered in flowers on every branch, and the display lasts for several weeks - from early summer to mid-summer. A commercially available selection from Empress of China® species; It is very vigorous and flowers well as a young plant. For best performance, place it where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade.
7. Variegated Japanese aralia tops flashy foliage with foamy starbursts
It may be more guilty and diva than some of the other plants listed, but the colorful Japanese aralia is one plant that stops me in my tracks whenever I see one. At the height of summer, large white flowers appear in large panicles 12 to 18 inches in diameter. The flowers are complemented by large compound leaves that can approach 3 feet in length. Cultivars such as these are grafted onto the root stock of straight species, so care must be taken to control non-variable suckers that often develop. There's no denying that this tree is a bit high maintenance; Whether it's worth the effort is up to you.
8. Sweetheart tree saves its best display for the end of summer
The sweetheart tree actually blooms in early summer, producing broad panicles of yellow-white flowers. However, what happens next will grab your attention. In late summer, pods with a pink exterior and red interior begin to form, and as each pod opens, it reveals a shiny black seed. In late fall, its glossy, compound leaves turn a coppery purple. Euskafis are still being tested by gardeners to fully assess their garden worthiness, but my vote is yes.
9. Sourwood is showy from midsummer through fall
The soursop tree often blooms in early July in the Southeast, and its relatively large, drooping bell-shaped flowers last for several weeks. These are very attractive in their own right, and you get long-term interest as the seeds grow as they fade. The inflorescences that are spent until autumn are beautiful and beautiful, and the color of the autumn leaves is bright red, purple and yellow in different populations. This tree does not like urban conditions or being transplanted as a large specimen.
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