Best flowering trees to add color to your garden

Any garden or landscape looks better with flowering trees. They bring bright colors and pleasant scents, turning a garden into a charming and lively space. They look stunning and help support biodiversity by attracting pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds.

The best flowering trees can grow in various regions, fit the available space, and beautify the garden's design. They can become the centerpiece of a garden, show the changing seasons, and provide shade and shelter for animals. These trees also create a sense of nostalgia, making outdoor areas more inviting and full of life.

Growcycle offers high-quality seeds for flowering trees to help create a vibrant garden. The information below explains the key features of these trees and how to care for them.

Benefits of Having Flowering Trees in the Garden

Flowering trees are the best way to increase the curb appeal of any landscape area. Here are some benefits of having flowering trees in the garden.

• Increase the Home’s Value: A tidy, attractive yard can increase the value of the home. While hiring a landscape designer can be costly, simply planting flowering trees can provide significant benefits.
• Support Pollinators: In spring, flowering trees offer early food for pollinators. They increase pollination rates and improve garden harvests.
• Attract Wild Birds: Many flowering trees produce berries or fruit, providing birds with natural snacks and shelter for nesting.
• Noise Reduction and Privacy: The foliage is a natural privacy barrier and reduces noise, allowing for peaceful backyard conversations.
• Carbon Storage: Planting trees is eco-friendly; they can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon annually while releasing oxygen.
• Lower Heating & Cooling Costs: A flowering tree can shade the home in summer, reducing cooling bills, while rows of trees block winter winds.
• Enjoy Sweet Scents: These trees add delightful fragrances to any garden, increasing the sense of enjoyment of the warm seasons.

Best Flowering Trees to Grow in the Garden

Here is a detailed guide about the best flowering trees to grow in the garden:

1. Star Magnolia

Star magnolia is one of the best plants to show off its blooms in spring, bringing white star-shaped flowers in March and April, even before the leaves come out. It’s a big shrub that can grow up to 24 feet tall, but gardeners can also prune it to look like a tree by training a single stem to act as the trunk.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Family: Magnoliaceae
• Order: Magnoliales
• Genus: Magnolia
• Common Name: Star Magnolia
• Botanical Name: Magnolia stellata
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Characteristics

• Star Magnolia is a charming, slow-growing deciduous shrub or small tree from Japan. In early spring, it gives large, beautiful white or pink flowers that bloom before the leaves appear.
• This lovely plant typically grows 5 to 8 feet tall and can spread to about 15 feet wide when it reaches full maturity. Young Star Magnolias are upright and oval but become more spread out as they age.
• Their slightly fragrant flowers, measuring 3–4 in wide, burst forth on bare stems in late winter or early spring. The star-shaped flowers have at least 12 thin, delicate petal-like tepals.
• When the leaves first grow, they are a lovely bronze-green color. As they mature, they transition to a deep green, turning yellow before they fall off in the autumn. Each leaf is oblong, roughly 4 in long and about 1.6 in wide, adding to the plant’s appeal.
• It produces knobby, reddish-green fruits about 2 in long in early autumn. These fruits reveal cheerful orange-red seeds, though sometimes they drop off before fully developing.
• With its compact size, Star Magnolia is perfect for smaller gardens. Its lovely blooms bring a much-appreciated splash of color in early spring, making it a delightful choice for any garden enthusiast.

2. Yoshino Cherry

Yoshino Cherry trees are well-known for their colorful blooms. Every spring, they give a beautiful display of fragrant pink flowers. This is a special type with light pink blossoms.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Family: Rosaceae
• Order: Rosales
• Genus: Prunus
• Common Name: Yoshino Cherry
• Botanical Name: Prunus × yedoensis
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8

Characteristics

• Prunus × yedoensis is a hybrid cherry tree created from crossing Prunus speciosa (known as Oshima cherry) and Prunus pendula f. Ascendens. This hybrid originated in Japan.
• The tree grows to 16 to 39 ft and occasionally reaches 49 ft at maturity. It thrives in hardiness zones 5–8 and prefers full sunlight and moist, well-drained soil.
• The leaves are arranged alternately, measuring 2.4–5.9 in long and 1.6–2.8 in wide. They have a serrated edge and start as bronze before turning dark green by summer.
• Its fragrant flowers grow in clusters in early spring. These trees are 1.2–1.4 in diameter and have five white or pale pink petals.
• The fruit is a small, round cherry measuring 0.31–0.39 in in diameter. It is an important food source for small birds and mammals, including robins and thrushes.
• The Yoshino cherry is popular for its fragrant, light pink flowers, manageable size, and graceful shape, making it a favored choice for ornamental planting.

3. Saucer Magnolias

Saucer magnolia trees grow tall, reaching up to 33 feet, and have large flowers that can be pink, white, or purple. Do not plant this tree in southern-facing locations, as its flower buds might open too early and could be damaged by the cold.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Family: Magnoliaceae
• Order: Magnoliales
• Genus: Magnolia
• Common Name: Saucer Magnolia
• Botanical Name: Magnolia × soulangeana
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9

Characteristics

• Saucer Magnolia is a tree that loses its leaves in the fall and shows off big, colorful flowers that bloom early in the season, featuring shades of white, pink, and purple.
• It's one of the most popular types of magnolia for gardens. It is often found in the British Isles, especially in southern England and on the east and west coasts of the United States.
• This tree can flourish as a large shrub with several stems or as a small tree with shiny, dark green leaves shaped like ovals that grow on thick stems.
• In early spring, its eye-catching flowers appear on a bare tree. These blossoms are large, usually between 10 and 20 cm (4 to 8 inches) across, and come in various colors, including white, pink, and maroon.
• Magnolia × soulangeana is known for being easy to grow, withstands wind, and handles alkaline soil well.

4. Eastern Redbud

The Eastern Redbud is a native tree in North America and is one of the best flowering trees for spring landscapes. The flowers are small but noticeable because they bloom early in spring on bare branches, covering them in a pinkish-purple color.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Family: Fabaceae
• Order: Fabales
• Genus: Cercis
• Common Name: Eastern Redbud
• Botanical Name: Cercis canadensis
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8

Characteristics

• Cercis canadensis, known as Eastern redbud, is a large shrub or small tree native to eastern North America, from southern Michigan to central Mexico and west to New Mexico.
• It typically grows 20 to 30 feet tall and spreads 26 to 33 feet wide. The plant has a short, often twisted trunk and spreading branches.
• The bark is dark and smooth at first and later becomes scaly with ridges. The twigs are thin, zigzag-shaped, nearly black, and spotted with lighter areas. The winter buds are small, rounded, and dark red to chestnut.
• Leaves are heart-shaped, 3 to 4.5 inches long and wide, thin, and may be slightly hairy underneath.
• It has bright magenta flowers, about 1/2 inch long, bloom in clusters on bare stems and sometimes on the trunk from spring to early summer.
• Eastern redbud is commonly used as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens and often appears in mixed forests as an understory tree.
• In southern Appalachia, people use its green twigs to season wild game. Native Americans eat the flowers raw or boiled and roast the seeds.

5. Hawthorn

Hawthorn trees are among the few flowering trees that remain colorful past early to mid-spring. They usually start blooming in late spring and continue into early summer. The flowers can be pink, white, or red, depending on the type. Moreover, birds love munching their berries in the fall and winter.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Family: Rosaceae
• Order: Rosales
• Genus: Crataegus
• Common Name: Hawthorn
• Botanical Name: Crataegus
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8

Characteristics

• Crataegus, commonly known as Hawthorn, Maytree, or Huckleberry, is a family of several hundred shrubs and trees in the rose family. They are mostly found in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America.
• These plants are usually shrubs or small trees that grow to about 15–50 feet tall. They have small pome fruits and thorny branches.
• Young Hawthorn trees have smooth grey bark, but as they get older, their bark develops shallow grooves and narrow ridges.
• The thorns can be small and sharp, sticking out from branches or the trunk. They are usually about (1⁄2–1 in long.
• The leaves flourish in a spiral pattern on long shoots and clusters on short shoots. Most are lobed or serrated and can look quite different from one another.
• The flowers have five petals and blossom in flat clusters. They are typically white but can also be pale pink or even scarlet.
• The fruit, often called a "haw," looks like a berry but is a pome (a form of fruit) with one to five little seeds inside, similar to the "stones," identical to those present in peaches.

6. Golden Chain

Consider the golden chain tree if anyone wants a flowering tree in color other than the usual white or pink. It requires a sheltered spot and care to manage pests and diseases.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Family: Fabaceae
• Order: Fabales
• Genus: Laburnum
• Common Name: Golden Chain Tree
• Botanical Name: Laburnum
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-7

Characteristics

• Laburnum, also known as golden chain or golden rain, is a group of two small tree species in the pea family, Fabaceae. These trees grow in the mountains of southern Europe, from France to the Balkans.
• Similar to clover, it grows its leaves in groups of three. Each leaf is about 0.8–1.2 in long.
• In spring, the laburnum produces bright yellow flowers in clusters without leaves. These clusters can be 4–15.5 in long, making the trees popular in gardens.
• All parts of this plant are poisonous. Poisoning can cause severe drowsiness, vomiting, convulsions, coma, foaming at the mouth, and uneven pupil sizes.
• Some caterpillars, like the Palearctic moth and buff-tip, feed on laburnum leaves.
• Wood from this tree has been used to make furniture, inlay work, and musical instruments. It was especially popular for making wind instruments like recorders, flutes, and Great Highland Bagpipes.
• Today, people grow laburnum species and hybrids as decorative trees in gardens and parks. They can also be shaped as espaliers on trellises, creating beautiful flower displays when they bloom.

7. White Fringe Tree

The white fringe tree is a good option for a gardener looking for a rich texture. In spring, this decorative tree is adorned with white flowers that resemble fringe, which later develop into bluish-black berries.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Family: Oleaceae
• Order: Lamiales
• Genus: Chionanthus
• Common Name: White Fringe Tree
• Botanical Name: Chionanthus virginicus
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9

Characteristics

• Chionanthus virginicus, or the white fringe tree, is indigenous to the savannas and lowlands of the northeastern and southeastern United States, from Massachusetts to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas.
• This tree typically grows as a small tree or shrub, reaching heights of up to 33 to 36 feet.
• Its bark is scaly, brown, tinged with red, and young shoots that start with light green and turn into light brown or orange later. The buds are light brown, oval, pointed, and about 0.12 inches long.
• The leaves of this plant are simple, oval, or oblong and measure 3.0 to 7.9 inches long and 0.98 to 3.94 inches wide. They turn yellow in fall and have a smooth upper side and fuzzy underside.
• Its fragrant white flowers have four lobes and grow in drooping clusters measuring 3.9 to 9.8 inches long. 
• Native Americans used the dried roots and bark of fringe trees to treat skin irritations and wounds.

How to Care For Flowering Trees?

It is important to care for flowering trees properly to keep them blooming and ornamented. Here are some tips to care for them:

• Watering: Different flowering trees need different amounts of water. Water is used more often in warmer areas, while in winter or cooler spots, it is cut back slightly.

• Fertilizing: To help the flowers bloom, it is important to use the best fertilizer for a healthy lawn, which should have low nitrogen but a higher amount of phosphorous and potassium. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers, as they can harm the roots.

• Pollination: Flowering and fruit growth usually occur simultaneously. If pollination occurs early, the trees have more time to grow and drop fruit before winter.

Summary

Flowering trees are a beautiful and simple way to boost any outdoor area. They add visual appeal, help the environment, and are useful for any home. Trees like the Eastern Redbud, White Fringe Tree, or Yoshino Cherry can make a garden or yard more attractive.

Growcycle offers tips on growing and caring for flowering and evergreen trees. Their guide helps homeowners and gardeners keep their outdoor spaces colorful and fragrant.

Disclaimer: This material is for informational purposes only and should not be relied on for legal, medical, financial, or any other form of professional advice.