The arrival of spring brings the early-season standards – tulips, daffodils and other ground-level bloomers. However, in an effort to encourage a well-rounded landscape, we came up with this list of showy blooming trees that will surely draw your attention upward now through the fall.
10. Lagerstroemia x ‘Natchez’/Natchez Crapemyrtle—warm, cinnamon brown bark, lovely white flowers throughout the summer; tolerance to powdery mildew.
9. Cercis canadensis var. texensis ‘Oklahoma’/Oklahoma redbud—wine-red spring flowers, and the habit is more dense and compact than the species.
8. Magnolia stellata ‘Royal Star’/ Star magnolia— (photo below) one of the smallest magnolias, producing a showy cloud of white flowers in early spring.
7. Stewartia pseudocamellia /Japanese stewartia—white flowers with yellow stamens in July; exfoliating bark; a little finicky, but worth it!
6. Cladrastis kentukea (lutea) /American Yellowwood—White, fragrant, pendulous, panicles in early summer; yellow fall foliage. Great urban tree.
5. Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ /Autumn Higan Cherry (photo above)—soft pink blossoms open in fall (winter during warm spells) and early spring.
4. Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’/Apple Serviceberry—an abundance of pure white flowers in the spring, brilliant red foliage in fall.
3. Cornus kousa var. chinensis ‘Milky Way’/Kousa Dogwood—abundant white blooms, followed by large red berries and then orange-red fall foliage. Drought tolerant.
2. Styrax japonicus/Japanese Snowbell —pendulous white blooms May into June. Fall color can be showy.
1. Chionanthus virginicus/Fringetree— (photo below) Panicles of creamy white fragrant flowers suspended from branches in May, blue fruit in fall. A truly showy native.
Fringetree (above)
Star Magnolia (above)
It can be grown either as a large shrub or small tree, and it is known for its large panicles of white flowers.