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Tree Choices for Great Landscape Color

Many homeowners are familiar with spring flowering Magnolias, Flowering Crabs, Weeping Cherry, and Florida Dogwoods. All these trees provide a lot of color in March or April depending on each tree variety. Before you dig another tree hole, let me share a dozen different tree option ideas. Some of these trees require very little space which creates a great opportunity for even the smallest of yards.

‘Okame’ Flowering Cherry – the earliest flowering cherry tree to bloom with rosy red flowers which last 2 to 3 weeks. It has attractive dark red-orange fall color. It is a fast growing ornamental tree that grows 25 ft high and 15 ft wide.

‘Princess Diana’ Serviceberry – has an abundance of white spring flowers and excellent red fall leaf color. Upright growth pattern, grows 20 ft high and 15 ft wide.

‘Forest Pansy’ Red Bud – provides an entire growing season of color with bright pink flowers in mid-spring and purple heart-shaped leaves that last until fall. Grows 15 ft high and wide.

‘Red Sprite’ Winterberry Holly – is a deciduous holly with small, white flowers in April but the real color comes in the fall when the leaves fall off and expose all those beautiful red berries closely attached to each stem. Grows 12-15 ft. high and wide.

‘Constellation’ Flowering Dogwood – this is a cross between the Kousa and the Florida Dogwoods. Fast growing tree with large white flowers in May. Grows 20 ft. high and wide. This tree performs well in our growing environment of clay soil and hot summers.

‘Satomi’ Flowering Dogwood – A Kousa type dogwood that has blooms with colors that range from light pink to deep rose and blooms in early June. Excellent fall color with leaves turning purple and fading to red. Grows 15 ft. high and wide.

‘White Fringe Tree’ – beautiful white flowers in soft clusters in early May. Grows 10 ft high and wide and grows in sun or light shade. A great tree for very small yards.

‘Little Gem’ Magnolia – evergreen, upright growth that stays on the small size. Grows 20 to 25 feet high and only 8 to 10 feet wide. Slow growing and makes a great screen plant for privacy. Blooms large white fragrant flowers in June and July.

‘Sweet Bay’ Magnolia – this semi-evergreen tree is not actually a new variety but it is my favorite of all. Attractive glossy green leaves with silver undersides. Has white, very fragrant flowers in June into July. Blooms look and smell like a gardenia. Grows 15 to 20 ft. tall and wide.

‘Shirazz’ Japanese Maple – very dwarf growing, its color is in its leaves with each leaf strongly marked in variegated foliage of green and cream with a strong pink edge and over all pink flush. Grows 10 ft high and wide. A great small accent plant for sun to part shade.

‘Fox Valley’ River Birch – a dwarf variety of birch suitable for the foundation landscape bed or a shrub border. A multi-trunked tree, low branched, and exfoliating bark. This dwarf stays in the 8 to 10 ft. high and 6 to 8 ft. wide range.

‘Peve Minaret’ Dwarf Bald Cypress – too beautiful to describe, no flowers but doesn’t need any. Check this one out at your favorite nursery.

Remember, you can plant trees and shrubs all summer and fall and any of these would be a great addition to your landscape.