Spring comes but once a year. For many, it’s the best time of the seasons. These people like it because the long wait through the snow and bad weather of the winter, with bare trees sleeping through the season, is over. Plus, there’s the promise of a new beginning and the start of great weather. Doing something outside in your yard or garden is a great way to get over your COVID-19 blues.
Planting a spring-flowering tree is a great outside project. What better way to introduce the new season than with a magnificent display of spring-flowering trees. These trees offer numerous benefits. They reduce carbon dioxide levels, lower energy cost, prevent storm runoff, hide unattractive views, and raise a home’s resale value. A description of spring flowering species and their cultivars suitable for planting in Rhode Island is presented below.
· Flowering Cherry
These trees come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Many varieties bloom in springtime and last for several weeks. Cherry trees work well in residential gardens because they require minimal care. All are beautiful. Distinguishing characteristics include the sheer number of petals and the color of the blossoms, as well as their fragrances, leaves, and blooming season. Flowering cherry trees perform best in full sun in moist, relatively well-drained soils. RITree’s Best of Breed selections are:
‘Accolade’ Sargent Cherry (Prunus sargentii ‘Accolade’)
‘Kwanzan’ Japanese Flowering Cherry (P. serrulata ‘Kwanzan’)
· Magnolias
The magnolia tree, like the cherry tree, is best known for its flowers. Among the first trees to bloom in the spring, magnolia trees have large flowers and a sweet, heady fragrance. Their tulip- or star-shaped flowers are often as large as saucers when fully opened. The tree’s foliage and fruit are also attractive. Magnolia trees come in several varieties, are long-lived, and easy to plant. These hardy trees prefer full sun with soils that are well-drained and slightly acidic. Best of Breed selections are:
Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana)
Star Magnolia (M. stellata)
· Dogwood
These woodland trees appear in various forms around the U.S., giving us a beautiful and elegant spring spectacle. Dogwoods have wide graceful branches growing horizontally into layers, with each branch featuring colorful flowers from April to June. Dogwoods are shallow-rooted and may require supplemental irrigation during summer to meet their water needs. Dogwoods prefer partial shade to full sun and moist, acidic soils. Best of Breed selections are:
Corneliancherry Dogwood (Cornus mas)- Yellow flowers
White Flowering Dogwood (C. florida ‘Cherokee Maiden’)
Pink Flowering Dogwood (C. florida var. rubra ‘Cherokee Chief’)
Milky Way Chinese Dogwood (C. kousa var. chinensis ‘Milky Way’)
· Crabapple
The flowering crabapple tree is among the most prized of all spring-flowering trees. They’re a staple of landscape gardening. Known for their spectacular display of magnificent blossoms in the spring and colorful fruit in the fall, these trees bloom for a four-to five-week period in mid-spring. Crabapples are extremely cold-hardy, air pollution tolerant and adaptable to a wide range of soils. Best of Breed selections include:
‘Donald Wyman’ Crabapple (Malus x ‘Donald Wyman’) –White flower, Bright red fruit
‘Prairifire’ Crabapple (M. x ‘Prairiefire’) – Red flower, Red-purple fruit
Japanese Crabapple (M. floribunda) – Red fading to white flowers, yellow and red fruit
Choosing among these trees for your outside project may be challenging. Contact RITree for help in selecting the right spring flowering tree for your project or for more advice on how to plant them.
