One of the best ways to improve the aesthetics of your yard – not to mention your home's curb appeal -- is by planting flowering trees. However, not all flowering trees are created equally – some produce much more flamboyant flowers than others do. The following seven species are some of the most beautiful flowering trees, and they all deserve consideration for your yard or garden.
Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Southern magnolias are handsome, evergreen trees that bear dark-green, leathery leaves throughout the year. In the summer, they produce large, white, eye-catching flowers. Southern magnolias are large trees, which may reach heights of 60 feet or more, so they are not appropriate for small spaces.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus floridana)
Flowering dogwoods produce gorgeous white flowers in the late spring. An understory tree, dogwoods do best when grown in partial shade. Although flowering dogwoods can reach 50 feet in height, most remain less than 20 feet tall, so they work well in small planting locations.
Black Cherry Trees (Prunus serotina)
Few tree species are more celebrated for their flowers than cherry trees are. Blooming in the late winter or early spring, cherry trees often produce an incredible abundance of tiny, white or pink flowers. As a bonus, black cherry trees produce wildlife-attracting fruit in the summer.
Peach Trees (Prunus persica)
Peach trees are medium-sized trees that produce delicate pink flowers in the late spring. Like their relatives the cherry trees, peach trees also display attractive bark, which makes these trees even more appealing.
Redbud Trees (Cercis canadensis)
Redbud trees produce some of the most colorful flowers of the spring. Tiny, delicate and purple, the flowers are some of the first to appear on trees in the spring. Redbud trees occasionally reach heights of 30 feet or more, but most remain small and work well in small yards and gardens.
Downy Serviceberries (Amelanchier arborea)
Downy serviceberries are late-spring-blooming trees that produce pretty, white flowers. Downy serviceberries typically thrive best in areas with ample sun exposure, but they usually remain small – few specimens exceed 30 feet in height. Downy serviceberries produce small, apple-like fruit in the summer, which attracts wildlife and contributes additional aesthetic charm.
Callery Pears (Pyrus calleryana)
Callery pears are medium-sized trees that produce attractive, but short-lived, white flowers. The trees are very attractive, but they are not particularly long-lived and they tend to be vulnerable to wind damage. Some people find the flowers to have an objectionable odor, so make sure you investigate their scent before purchasing and planting your own pear trees.
Contact a tree service, like Darrel Emel's Tree Service, for more help.
Share5 April 2016
After we moved into our house, we knew that something had to be done about our trees. The branches looked off-kilter, and we could tell that someone had pruned them incorrectly at one time or another. Unfortunately, we weren't really sure how to repair the damage. A family friend talked with us about hiring a professional tree trimmer, and so we called them the next day. The difference that they made was astounding. They removed dead branches, trimmed up the shape, and let more sunlight through. My blog is all about improving the look of your trees by hiring a professional.