Small Flowering Trees
Choosing Small Flowering Trees for Your Garden
Although flowers are beautiful, small flowering trees can really add something special to your garden or landscaping project. Not only do they add color to your landscape, but they also add height and shade as well. Even though they might only bloom for a short period of time, for the rest of the year they can provide shade and interesting colors and textures, too, depending on the kind of small flowering trees that you choose.
The best trees to choose are those that have beautiful blooms when they are in season and attractive leaves and berries throughout the rest of the year. That way, your garden can continue looking beautiful, even when it doesn’t have flowers growing.
The best way to arrange small flowering trees is to plant them in groups. You want to avoid planting trees next to one another that have different heights since there is more continuity when similar trees are planted close together. However, having several different types of trees planted throughout your garden can be aesthetically pleasing.
There are many different types of small flowering trees to choose from. Some common and popular ones include the Red Maple, Eastern Redbud, Yellowwood, Flowering Dogwood, Cornelian Cherry, Chinese Flame Tree, Golden Raintree, Southern Magnolia, and Witch hazel.
The Red Maple is one of the most popular trees in the southeast. It flowers during the colder months and has a brilliant shade of red which can add color to any garden when the skies are cloudy and gray. The Eastern Redbud, on the other hand, flowers in the early spring and has blooms that range from brilliant purple to striking red.
The Yellowwood tree prefers cliffs and limestone. It likes acidic soil and has a strong fragrance when it blooms. It produces a flower that is pale and pink. The flowering dogwood can also produce pale pink blooms, as well as white blooms, too. It is one of the most popular trees in the east. Not only are the blooms pretty, but the leaves that it grows are pretty as well. It’s a tree that looks good all year round.
Most small flowering trees are planted with regards to their blooms and height. When choosing one, you should also consider the colors that they produce and the size of their canopies. They can be planted as individual pieces or as accents to other parts of your garden as well. If planting them as accents, however, you should ensure that they do not compete with sunlight with your flowers and other plants.
Your decision shouldn’t be entirely based on the colors of their blooms, either. Some trees only bloom for a couple of weeks and therefore the colors will not have a lasting effect on your garden. However, their leaves, berries, and bark might also provide interesting colors and textures that can be a great addition to your garden. The dogwood, for instance, only blooms for a short period of time but in the rest of the year it has brilliant leaves and berries and is still pleasing to look at.
The canopy size is equally important. Consider the size and shape of your garden or lawn. Some people might need tall trees that spread up. Other yards might do better with trees that offer wide canopies and are closer to the ground. When picking your trees, make sure that you understand not only how tall they will grow, but how wide their canopies will be as well.
When selecting plants, trees, and flowers for your garden, it is important to think about how they will all work together. Keeping this in mind will help you have a beautiful project that can bring you pleasure all year round.