Featured Plants : flowering

The Graceful and Arching Weeping Cherry Tree

barb-nhn — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:30:00 GMT

Have you ever thought of planting the heavy blooming Weeping Cherry Tree that is so famous in the springtime in Washington D.C.? This gorgeous, rapid growing ornamental tree displays its profuse flowering of delicate pink blossoms during each spring in zones 5-8. These showy pink flowers arrive on pendulous branches before the green foliage emerges.

In the fall, this tree will treat you to a mixture of green, chartreuse, and yellow colors. The bronzy-brown bark is smooth and attractive so will provide a winter interest. Each season will certainly add a new focus to this Weeping Cherry Tree.

Maturing to a height of 30-40 feet, Weeping Cherry is an accent or specimen tree with a single trunk. This tree will end up with a circumference of anywhere between 20 to 40 feet, so plan accordingly. It is also recommended that a layer of mulch be added to the ground, matching the tree circumference. This helps with maintaining the moisture that this tree needs.

Weeping Cherry tree prefers moist, well-drained soils of average fertility in full sun, but is adaptable to poor soils, compacted soils, dry soils, and heat. Since you do not see this tree in many yards, you will probably have your friends and neighbors asking about this new addition to your landscape!

Tatarian Maple is a highly ornamental tree

barb-nhn — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:11:00 GMT

Growing 15--20 feet tall, the Tatarian Maple is a beautiful addition to the landscape, and makes a wonderful tree for planters, patios, or small areas. It has an excellent small tree form and possesses an attractive foliage quality.

Have you noticed that everything about this small oriental-looking tree is highly ornamental -- its flowers, bark, foliage, and even the seeds themselves? The fragrant greenish to yellow flowers appear in spring and literally cover the tree. The flowers are followed by attractive bright pink to red winged fruit. The dense medium green summer leaves change to yellow, red, and reddish brown in the fall.

Tatarian Maple is tolerant of many soil conditions and should be planted in partial shade to full sun. This Maple tree is a low maintenance tree, and very hardy from zones 3 to 8. If you are looking for that perfect tree for your small yard, this tree is the one to seriously consider!

A Spectacular Flowering Crabapple -- Sugar Tyme®

barb-nhn — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:14:00 GMT

Showing off its masses of gorgeous, sugar-white fragrant flowers, Sugar Tyme® Crabapple puts on quite the show in May! After its spectacular flowering, you can enjoy this Crabapple's colorful, crisp and lustrous green foliage that emerges.

This lovely ornamental tree produces large, brilliant red berries, with total sweetness, that attract birds. These berries ripen in the fall and persist through winter. Vigorous and very disease-resistant, this Crabapple forms an upright, oval shape and is a bit smaller than some other flowering crabs. So, if an oval form patio tree with fragrant white blooms is what you desire, Sugar Tyme® would be a nice selection. Growing to a height of 16 to 18 feet, it is great for the smaller yard too.

Sugar Tyme® is spectacular in the landscape since the rich red fruits remain on the tree all year. This tree requires full sun and does well in most soil, but will be more attractive if fed peat and compost.

The Large and Sweet Early Italian Prune

barb-nhn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:03:00 GMT

Early Italian Prune has dark purple skin with yellow-greenish flesh. This flesh becomes a dark wine color when cooked. The prune separates easily and freely from its pit; a freestone fruit. Being a good commercial quality prune variety, it produces ten days to two weeks ahead of regular Italian. Early Italian Prune is a large fruit that has a rich flavor and is very sweet when fully ripe. Use it fresh, dried or canned.

The Early Italian Prune tree is vigorous and cold hardy. In the spring it offers a spectacular show of spring hues with its lovely white flowering. Providing attractive foliage and bark, it will look great in the yard all year round! No pollinator is required and it grows to 8-14 feet so does well in a small yard. Early Italian will need at least 6 hours of sun a day and will thrive in zones 5-9.

Prune trees are fast growing and usually begin producing fruit in 3 to 5 years after planting. Prunes are rich in dietary fiber that is effective in improving digestion. They are low in calories and contain ample amounts of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and carbohydrates.

The Handsome and Ornamental 'Showy Mountain Ash'

barb-nhn — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:23:00 GMT

Showy Mountain Ash is a handsome and showy tree for the border of your property. It is a hardy tree that can tolerate heat or cold, strong winds and low humidity. Showy Mountain Ash is a smaller, rounded ornamental tree with white flowers, handsome foliage, and showy red fruit. A profuse flowering tree, it shows off its blooms from June until July!

This landscape ash tree has branches that spread to form a narrow, open, and round topped crown. Being the hardiest of the species in this country, it is slow growing and resistant to disease. It is a main source of food for birds, who will scatter the seeds and the fruits are not edible for humans. This plant is attractive to bees and butterflies.

Showy Mountain Ash needs good drainage; water regularly; do not overwater. It should be mulched to maintain a cool, moist, acidic soil. The mulch should spread out beyond the trunk at least twice as far as the edge of its canopy. This will shelter its extensive root system.

Early Flowering Okame Cherry Tree

barb-nhn — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:14:00 GMT

The Okame Cherry tree is one of the earliest of the flowering cherries. Before the leaves appear, its carmine-pink petals, with rose-red calyx and reddish flower stalks, open fully and last 2 to 3 weeks. What a wonderful and consistent year-to-year blooming habit! The fruits of this tree are small, and not ornamentally important.

The Okame grows to a height of 20-30' with a similar spread. When young, the tree displays a broad-columnar habit, and as it ages, it develops a more rounded habit. It does best in moist, well-drained soil, but will adapt to a variety of soils, as long as they are not wet. It makes a fine specimen tree and should be sited where it can be easily seen in late winter/early spring. The Okame requires full sun or light shade and has an excellent heat and cold tolerance.

This deciduous ornamental tree has an attractive dark red-orange fall color, and the shiny reddish brown bark provides some winter interest. Flowering is its main feature, yet the Okame can be considered an all seasons plant with its attractive bark and fall color. Okame's growth is medium-fast, especially when young, so it will grow 1 to 2 feet or more per year; thrives in zones 6-9.

The Dwarf Sargents Crab Tree

barb-nhn — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:19:00 GMT

Reaching a height of 10-15 feet, this dwarf tree flowers profusely in early spring with pink to white scented blossoms; it is well known for its stunning flowers. The Sargents Crab tree is excellent for wildlife because of its edible dark red berries that persist on the tree into winter. Its dense summer foliage is a dark green color and provides shelter for wildlife.

Sargents Crab tree has the smallest leaves of all the crabs. Being a flowering, compact, landscape tree, it is often used as a specimen or patio tree; can be pruned to a single trunk.

This deciduous ornamental tree has moderate water requirements and a moderate tolerance to salt and alkali. Sargents crab prefers a sunny location with moist, well drained soil but will grow on sites with heavier and drier soils. One of the smallest crabapples, it is a mounded, wide spreading tree, (wider than high), with disordered branching and frequent cross branching.

The Jane Magnolia x Jane Tree

barb-nhn — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:12:00 GMT

The Jane Magnolia tree, Magnolia x Jane, displays impressive reddish purple flowers outside, with a white inside that opens late in the spring to avoid frost damage. These flowers, appearing just before the foliage, are a gorgeous tulip-shape with a lightly scented fragrance. This tree needs to be planted so that it has full morning sun and partially shaded afternoons. Although it does prefer rich, moist, and well-drained soils, it can grow in any soil no matter if its acidic, loamy, moist, rich, or sandy. It grows well in zones 3-7.

Magnolia Jane makes an excellent choice for any accent, specimen, or border use since it is a strong, vigorous, and an upright grower. This ornamental tree is distinguished by its beautifully shaped, extremely fragrant large flowers that open in early May.

This Magnolia needs regular watering until established, especially during dry spells. For optimum performance, fertilize in early spring with an acid-type fertilizer. Pruning it after the flowering is complete will help it maintain a desired shape and height.

Plant Hydrangea Late Panicle for Fall Color

barb-nhn — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:08:00 GMT

The Hydrangea Late Panicle is a shrub that has white airy flowers that can reach 10-12" in length in late August. The flowers are a mixture of sterile and fertile flowers which gives them less density and less likelihood to tip or droop. This Hydrangea's flowers will turn bronze in fall; grows 6-8 feet in zones 3-8.

Trained to a single stem with a head, it blooms in late August with showy white flowers which age to a lovely mauve pink. The flower head is more open than PeeGee Hydrangea, resulting in an elegant airy, showy floral display.

Hydrangeas grow best in moist, well-drained soil. Most hydrangeas benefit from some shade, especially in hot climates. It has average water needs; water regularly; do not overwater. These shrubs are fast growing and are great for informal screens, specimen plants, or for cut arrangements.

It is best to prune every year in the fall after blooming, no more than 1/3 of the plant. These plants look best if they are kept pruned and this regular pruning keeps them thick at the base. They are hardy and will not need to be covered to flower.

For the Small Yard : Forest Pansy Redbud Tree

barb-nhn — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:30:00 GMT

The Forest Pansy Redbud Tree is a true harbinger of spring, and everyone enjoys the clusters of tiny, rose-purple, pea-like flowers that bloom profusely. The flowers are on the branches and mature trunks for 2-3 weeks in early spring (March-April), before the foliage emerges. Forest Pansy is an excellent ornamental small tree for lawns, woodland gardens, or naturalized areas. It is very effective if planted as a specimen or in groups.

The heart-shaped leaves open bright reddish-purple and gradually mature to a more muted purple. Seed pods, resembling snow peas, appear in late spring after this flowering Redbud has finished blooming. Fall color is often includes attractive shades of reddish-purple and orange. This Redbud is easily grown in average, medium wet, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade.

It is a small tree that is deciduous, and an understory with a spreading, flat-to-rounded crown. It can eventually grow to 20-30' tall and the trunk usually divides somewhat close to the ground. It thrives in zones 5-8.

The Ever-Popular Bartlett Pear Tree

barb-nhn — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:59:00 GMT

The Bartlett Pear tree produces a pear that is bright yellow and is the nation's leading pear variety. This pear tree tends to bear fruit for up to 50 to 75 years on a good site. It displays white flowers in April and May and is ready for harvest from mid August until mid September. The fruit is aromatic and is outstanding for fresh eating. Along with its very sweet and juicy flavor for eating, it is widely used for canning and cooking.

The Bartlett Pear trees are self-pollinating, however a pollinator will help the tree bare better fruit. They do require bees to help pollinate. Bartlett Pears do not ripen properly on the tree, so growers pick the fruit when it is mature but green. Bartletts turn from green to yellow, with a pink blush. Understand where the fruit grows on your tree. Bartlett pears usually flower and fruit on short twigs, known as spurs or old wood. So when pruning, it’s fine to prune back last year’s new growth as part of shaping the tree.

Fruit trees need a minimum of 6-8 hours of sunlight daily, and need water since they are not drought tolerant. The Bartlett Pear thrives in zones 4-9. Decide how much space you can devote to your pear trees, and select a rootstock accordingly. Dwarf trees should be planted at least 12 feet apart. Semi-dwarf and regular pear trees should be planted at least 20 to 25 feet apart. Your zone will also determine which varieties of pear will grow best in your area.

Profuse Flowering Eastern Whitebud

barb-nhn — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:51:00 GMT

The Eastern Whitebud tree adds a striking touch to any landscape. It is best known for its profuse white pea-like flowers. The heart-shaped leaves of this redbud tree are 3-5" across, and its fruit are brown flat pods about 2-3" long. The stout trunk of this small tree usually branches close to the ground resulting in a spreading flat-topped to rounded crown. Since this tree does not transplant easily, it should be planted when young.

Eastern Whitebud trees grow best in full sun to light shade with moist well-drained deep soil. This small deciduous tree is adaptable to other soil types but will not grow well in permanently wet or poorly drained soil. It is used as an ornamental or patio tree; leaves turn yellow in the fall. This rapid growing, low maintenance tree grows anywhere from 15-40 feet in height in zones 4-9.

Flowering ornamental trees add pizzazz in the spring and gorgeous foliage in the summer to any landscape or yard. They are an indispensable part of the landscape. Use as a beautiful specimen tree, hedge, or border.

The Hardy Dolgo Crabapple

barb-nhn — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:59:00 GMT

The beautiful hardy Dolgo Crabapple Tree creates a visual impact during all four seasons. This tree grows upright with an open habit around 20 feet in height. It is very ornamental fruit tree and makes an excellent choice for use around homes, schools, parks, public and commercial buildings. This dwarf Crabapple Dolgo presents a spectacular floral display with its pink buds that open to fragrant, white flowers. This white flowering tree then produces bright red to purple fruits that ripen in August and are about the size of small plums. The glossy, dark green foliage turns yellow in the fall. Dolgos are excellent for jelly making and spicy butters which is good eating for humans, as well as great browse for birds and wildlife. Typical crabapple fruits remain a good food source for wildlife through the fall. Regardless of soil type, the Dolgo needs good drainage and is a must for tree health. Crabapples grow best in a moist, slightly acidic soil and full sun. Excessively moist areas and low spots should be avoided. The Dolgo is a superb apple pollinator for other apple trees and thrives in zones 3-9. Crabapples require little pruning, but occasional pruning is necessary to open up the center of the plant to sunlight and air movement or to remove a wayward branch. When pruning is done, it should be completed before early June. By mid-June to early July, flower buds for the next season are beginning to form in most crabapples. Pruning after July will reduce floral display and fruiting for the following year. Crabapples are differentiated from apples based on fruit size. If fruit is two inches in diameter or less, it is termed a crabapple. If the fruit is larger than two inches, it is classified as an apple.

The Profuse Blooming Cleveland Select Flowering Pear Tree

barb-nhn — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:03:00 GMT

There’s nothing more beautiful in spring than a flowering pear tree covered in snowy white blooms. The Cleveland Select Flowering Pear Tree will provide you with this multitudinous display of white blooms. It is a beautiful tree with dark, glossy green leaves and displays its defining feature of white flowers in spring. It is a brilliant orange color in fall. This tree will draw attention to the landscape in all of these seasons. Cleveland Select Flowering Pear Tree is an excellent street tree with beautiful purplish-red fall color. It has an attractive upright oval form, and Cleveland Select Pear reaches a height of 30 feet and width of 15 feet and requires full sun. This ornamental tree has a superior branch structure that withstands ice and wind damage better than the Bradford Pear. It is fruitless, has few pest problems, tolerates urban conditions, and heavy clay soils.

Chickasaw Plum Ornamental Tree

barb-nhn — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:00:00 GMT

The Chickasaw Plum is an ornamental tree with beautiful 5-petaled white flowers that appear along the stems in March, before the foliage emerges. This flowering tree is one of the first trees to bloom in spring; the flowers are a popular nectar source for butterflies. Its best blooming period is usually in the early spring, with fruit and seed production starting in mid-summer.

The flowers are followed by small, cherry-like, edible, red to yellow plums which ripen in mid summer. Although the plums may be eaten raw, they are somewhat tart and acidic, and are perhaps best used in preserves and jellies.

At maturity, the Chickasaw Plum will reach a height of 15-20 feet. This rapid growing tree requires full sun to partial sun and is drought tolerant. The toothed, narrow, bright green leaves (1-3" long) appear on branches and twigs that are an attractive reddish-brown and sometimes have thorny lateral branchlets. It is an excellent source of food and shelter for wildlife and produces plums in mid-July to September, depending on the area of the country that it is grown.