When you think of choosing flowers to add colorful touches to your landscape, you may be overlooking one of the most dramatic sources of this color — flowering trees. Not only can trees paint glorious brush strokes of color across your yard, but there is also a way for you to enjoy this color from early spring throughout the summer. All you have to do is choose trees that bloom at different times of the year!

A Trio of Spring-Blooming Trees

Depending on where you live, some spring-blooming trees may actually start blooming in late winter, much to the delight of warm-climate gardeners! Choose these trees to herald the beginning of spring for early-season color:

1. Dogwood Trees (Cornus spp.) 

Dogwoods are the quintessential spring-flowering trees across USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Although you are probably familiar with the white-flowering variety, did you know there are also pink- and red-flowering dogwoods?

• White dogwood (Cornus florida). Even though the true flowers of dogwood trees are the little yellow blossoms framed by a flurry of white, petal-like structures, it’s this flurry of white that you’ll enjoy!
• Pink dogwood (Cornus florida rubra). These trees are covered with a cotton-candy pink color that may deepen with age.
• Red dogwood (Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Chief’). Although there are numerous dogwoods sold as “red-flowering” trees, it’s the Cherokee Chief dogwood that has a true ruby-red color.

1. Redbud Trees (Cercis spp.)

A native tree, redbud species sport heart-shaped leaves and an abundance of flowers in spring.

• Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). The branches of this native tree are covered with deep-pink flowers in late winter to early spring before the leaf buds open. 
• Oklahoma Redbud (Cercis canadensis texensis ‘Oklahoma,’ formerly Cercis reniformis). Another redbud selection, Oklahoma won the coveted 2002 Georgia Gold Medal Plant Award for its outstanding performance and durability. Its flowers are a vibrant shade of fuchsia.
• The Rising Sun Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘JN2’). Like the multi-colored display of a brilliant sunrise, The Rising Sun Redbud tree displays shades of apricot, yellow and lime-green after its pinkish-lavender flowers fade in spring. You’ll enjoy a second burst of color when its leaves turn shades of gold in autumn.

1. Ornamental Cherry Trees (Prunus spp.)

• Kwanzan Cherry (Prunus serrulata). The double-flowered blossoms of the Kwanzan Cherry tree give a two-for-one impact! A profusion of pink flowers makes this tree a true spring stunner.
• Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis). This graceful, rounded tree is unparalleled for its open, vase-shaped form and white flowers that burst open in spring.
• Snow Fountains Weeping Cherry (Prunus‘Snofozam’). Imagine a cherry tree covered with white flowers in springtime…and now picture this tree with cascading branches! The weeping shape of this cherry tree mimics a waterfall, making it an anchor plant in an Oriental garden with a dry stream bed of pebbles “flowing” underneath it.

A Quartet of Summer-Blooming Trees

Plan your landscape so that dramatic summer-flowering trees begin to blossom as the spring-blooming trees fade. This succession of color brings a long-lasting feast for your eyes as well as rich nectar sources for birds and butterflies. 

1. Crape Myrtle Trees (Lagerstroemia spp.) With so many cultivars and colors available, you can’t go wrong with choosing crape myrtle trees in the Native American Tribe series. This group of crape myrtles was developed by scientists at the U.S. National Arboretum and bred for their high disease resistance.

• Tonto Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica ‘Tonto’). If you like hot colors in your landscape, this is the crape myrtle for you! The award-winning Tonto Crape Myrtle bears fuchsia (hot-pink) flowers that last over a long bloom season.
• Catawba Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica ‘Catawba’). Vivid violet-purple flowers are a standout in the garden on Catawba Crape Myrtle.
• Natchez Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’). White doesn’t have to be boring! Simply look to Natchez Crape Myrtle to provide a snow storm in summer with its pure-white blossoms.
• Muskogee Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia ‘Muskogee’). Lavender flowers make Muskogee Crape Myrtle a “southern substitute” for lilacs, which typically can’t stand up to the heat and humidity of hot southern summers.

1. Little Gem Magnolia Tree (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’). With all the grandeur of the larger species magnolia tree — but in a smaller package — Little Gem Magnolia brings a touch of Southern charm to smaller landscapes. It’s no wonder that Little Gem Magnolia was awarded the 2000 Georgia Gold Medal Plant Award because of its outstanding attributes. In addition to its smaller size (it only grows to 20 feet tall), this evergreen tree’s leaves are slightly upturned, which allows you to see the brown undersides — a nice contrast to the deep-green tops. But its crowning glory are the summer-blooming white cup-shaped flowers that are intoxicatingly fragrant.

1. Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). This is a very fast-growing tree that may reach a height of 90 feet. Choose this tree if you need some shade in your yard but you don’t want to wait a lifetime to enjoy the shade! Uniquely shaped leaves are tulip-shaped, but the “tulip theme” doesn’t stop at the leaves — each orange-and-yellow flower is also tulip-shaped. These flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies, which is an extra bonus for you!

1. Kousa Dogwood Tree (Cornus kousa). You may be more familiar with spring-blooming dogwood trees, but the Kousa Dogwood holds its flowering display until summer. It has another advantage over the native dogwood species — higher disease resistance. And the birds in your yard will appreciate snacking on Kousa Dogwood’s raspberry-shaped fruits!

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