The Belles Of Spring

Very few things are as welcome after the end of our dreary and drawn-out winter as the sight of a tree in bloom. A tree in flower is balm to the soul. It is truly a sign that spring is firmly upon us.

You don't have to live down South to enjoy some very beautiful trees. There are many great choices for us to grow in the southern Great Lakes region. Copyright 2006, Marilyn K. Burns and Licensor, Corel Stock Photos The suggestions I am giving are only to inspire you into trying of few of these trees in your yard.

One of the best flowering trees for our region is the flowering crabapple. Flowering crabs have gotten a bad rap in recent years because some of the older varieties had a tendency to loose leaves to blight and rust during the summer. There are many disease resistant varieties that have been developed in recent years, and it is worth it to explore the newer choices.

One of the prettiest is 'Prairiefire', a recent introduction that shows superior disease resistance to rust, blight, mildew, and scab. This crabapple sports burgundy-green foliage, dark red buds opening to vivid pink-red blooms, and dark red persistent fruits. 'Prariefire' will reach about 30 feet at maturity.

Another good variety is 'Sargent', also known as 'Sargentii', a relatively short growing variety with white buds and blossoms. 'Sargent' displays green foliage and reddish-orange fruits. It is spreading in habit, and reaches to about 8 to 10 feet in height, ideal for the smaller yard. It, too, shows excellent disease resistance.

The flowering dogwoods do well in our region. Cornus florida, or common flowering dogwood, has been in the news recently. Some states have had problems with Anthracnose and dogwood decline. So far, there have only been spotty problems in our region. The best bet is to plant-certified trees and stick with vigorous varieties. 'Cherokee Chief' displays dark red bracts, or flowers, while 'Cherokee Princess' displays white bracts.

Cornus kousa is even more disease resistant and less prone to insect damage than Cornus florida. The Asian dogwood blooms after the common dogwood, and displays bracts against emerging foliage. A good variety to grow is 'Wolf Eyes', white flowering form with white-edged leaves, hence the name. 'Rosabella' is another variety that displays vivid pink bracts.

The flowering cherries are surprisingly hardy and beautiful trees. The weeping forms are particularly stunning as they age. They do resemble umbrellas until they get a little size on them. Blooms of the flowering cherries can range from white to pink, single to double in flower form, and weeping or upright in form. Some varieties hardy into zone are: 'Shogetsu', a tree whose puffs of blossoms give the tree a sumptuous "pink whipped cream" appearance, 'Kwanzan', a deep pink variety, and 'Higan', perhaps the most notable weeping cherry in our region, with cascading pink blossoms.

A very pretty and rock-hardy flowering tree for our region includes the flowering plum. With bronze-red leaves and bright pink flowers, this tree is a real knockout. The flowering plums grow to about 25 feet tall.

The 'Bradford' flowering pear was once widely planted as a street tree and for a while, landscapers in our region seemed to have a real love affair going with this tree until some very bad habits, notably the tendency to split limbs with maturity. To see a 'Bradford' flowering pear grow to 18 or 20 feet without major limb or trunk splitting is pretty rare. If you yearn for the clear white clouds of blossoms and the burgundy colored fall foliage of the flowering pear, newer and more vigorous varieties are available. These include 'Chanticleer' and 'Aristocrat'. The flowering pears will top out at about 25 feet.

Amelanchier, or Serviceberry, is an underused tree. It has white flowers, and is early to bloom, but very hardy. Birds enjoy the fruits of this tree, and the foliage turns a brilliant yellow-orange color in the fall for added interest. It will grow to be about 20 feet or so tall.

Magnolias are another choice. Don't get me started, this is my favorite flowering tree! I have a whole article devoted to the magnolia. Just click on that link when you are done over here to read more about these lovely trees.

For planting and culture, I have an article on shade trees. The advice there will also apply to these trees as well.

This is just a teaser. There are so many good trees, large and small, well known and relatively unknown, that do well in our region. They truly mean that spring is upon us with a vengeance. Plant one or two or who knows? Plant a whole grove! There can never be too many flowering trees, in my estimation. They offer so much, and are so precious. They are truly the Belles of the Spring Ball!