Flowering trees can add beauty to your landscape and enhance your garden but when choosing trees you have a few things to consider.
First of all, you want to be sure to select a tree whose height will be a good match for the spot you are putting it in. If you want a rather short tree to compliment a corner garden, then you won't want to choose one that grows to 50 feet tall. On the other hand, if you want a large tree to spruce up your front yard, a dwarf tree will be ... well ... dwarfed by the rest of the landscape.
You'll also want to choose trees that thrive in your area and be aware of any pests or special maintenance. Your local garden center can help steer you in the right direction for maintenance and planting instructions. Here's some flowering trees you might want to consider:
Flowering Cherry Trees
There are several varieties of flowering cherry trees that grow from 12 feet to 50 feet tall. The Snow Fountain Flowering Cherry is great for smaller gardens and grows to only 12 feet in height. This tree has branches that droop to the ground with white flowers that bloom early in the season. A perfect tree to highlight a corner garden. The Pendula Weeping Japanese Flowering Cherry gets to about 20 feet in height and about 15 feet in width. It has pale pink flowers that bloom early in the season. The Kwanzan has in inverted cone shape and will get to about 30 feet tall X 20 feet wide. It has large pink flowers that bloom in mid season. The Kwanzan has orange foliage in fall. The Sargentii Flowering Cherry Tree is the tallest reaching 50 feet in height. It has pink flowers that bloom in clumps during the mid season.
Flowering Dogwood Tree
This is one of the most popular trees and has white flowers that bloom in spring. This tree, however is a bit picky about where you plant it and should be planted in a sheltered area, either on the side of the house or where it will be shaded by another tree.
Flowering Peach Tree
If you live in a Southern climate, then you are probably familier with this tree. This vase shaped tree grows to 25 feet and produces a lot of fruit. You must, however, plant it in the correct climate and soil. Avoid soil that is too wet or you will be disappointed with the outcome.
Flowering Pear Tree
The flowering pear tree can perk up any landscape and grows to about 45 feet producing lush yummy fruit as well as flowers. There are actually different types of pear trees that will grow to different sizes. They produce white buds in spring with either red or purple foliage in fall.
The Magnolia
This tree is another long time favorite and produces beautiful flowers that bloom in spring. If you live in the south you will want to consider the Southern Magnolia with it's fragrant white flowers. This variety can reach heights of 80 feet and shows red fruit in fall. In the north, you'll want to plant the saucer magnolia that has pinkish white flowers in early spring and grows to 30 feet.
