Uncommon Native Flowering Trees for Spring Planting
Flowering trees are gems of the landscape. They put their bright colors right at eye level with striking intensity. Flowering trees are also functional. They can be used to soften strong lines of homes or hardscape or frame the house for enhancement of your curb-appeal. Fruiting flowering trees add another dimension of color to your landscape in late summer or fall. Fall foliage color adds the final element to your decision. Many of our flowering trees display stunning fall colors and can liven up your yard with deep splashes of reds, oranges and yellows.
Early spring is an ideal time to plant small trees. The following list highlights some valuable choices of native trees to use here in your Connecticut gardens.
- Downy servicebery, downy juneberry (Amelanchier arborea) Despite the fleetness of their flowering, amelanchier, or serviceberry, remains one of my favorite small trees. Every April I treasure the few short days when their clouds of white blooms billow from hedgerows and the wooded edges of farm fields. The tree has handsome smooth grey bark and attractive fall colors.
- Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). A lovely, deciduous tree which covers its bare branches with pink or white flowers in early spring. The variety "Forest Pansy" has purplish foliage. The tree has handsome large heart-shaped leaves with an attractive yellow fall color. Drought-resistant and a more-hardy alternative to dogwood.
- Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Large pink or white flowers in midspring are followed by red berries which are quickly consumed by wildlife. Leaves turn intensely red or plum and last a long time before dropping in fall. Needs partial shade in areas with hot, dry summers. Best planted in lawn areas that are irrigated to keep the tree out of stressful conditions. This will enhance its ability to not be affected by Anthracnose.
- Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) Fringetree has a spreading, rounded habit that typically grows 12-20' tall. Its common name refers to the slightly fragrant, spring-blooming flowers which feature airy, terminal, drooping clusters (4-6" long) of fringe-like, creamy white petals. Dioecious (separate male and female plants), fertilized perfect or female flowers give way to clusters of olive-like fruits which ripen to a dark, bluish black in late summer and are a food source for birds and wildlife. Wide, spear-shaped leaves (to 8" long) turn yellow in autumn.
- Green Hawthorne 'Winter King' (Crataegus viridis) This cultivar is one of the best hawthorns for landscape purposes. A small deciduous tree with a rounded, vase-shaped habit which typically grows 25-35' tall. The tree features profuse white flowers in May. Berries appear in the late summer and mature in fall to a bright red and persist throughout the winter. Fruits are technically edible, but are best left for the birds. Stems are an attractive silver-gray. The bark of older trunks often exfoliates to expose an orangish-brown inner bark.
- Pagoda dogwood, green osier (Cornus alternifolia) Pagoda Dogwood is an excellent small tree that can be grown either as a single or multi-trunked specimen. The tree has a unique horizontally layered branching structure. It has 3-4" flat clusters of small white flowers in spring. Fruit are small blue-black berries that add considerable color in summer as they mature. The fruit are readily eaten by birds. The fall foliage color is a deep burgundy. The plant form adds a great deal of interest to the winter landscape. Pagoda Dogwood is typically found as an understory plant in wooded areas.
- Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) Ultimate height is usually in the 10-20’ range. Showy, erect, 4-10” long panicles of red to orange-red flowers appear in spring. Flowers are attractive to ruby-throated hummingbirds and bloom in Southern CT at about the same time that the hummingbirds return to the area in spring migration.
Planting and Care. All of these trees are well-adapted to our area. Water frequently after planting and continue weekly through the rest of the first year. Mulch heavily with organic matter, such as ground bark or compost, after planting. It is important to not mulch right up to the tree itself – end the mulch about 6 inches from the base of the tree.
