Once those winter snows and gloom fade at last, you need that burst of early spring color! Of course, there are spring flowering bulbs and shrubs, but after a long hard winter - you need to think bigger!
Early flowering trees are the way to kickstart spring on a grand scale!
Earliest Flowering Trees at Nature Hills Nursery!
Nature Hills has some of the earliest bloomers on the market and every one of them is a surefire way to kick winter to the curb!
- Do it for the early season color!
- Do it for the fragrance!
- Do it for the neighborhood bragging rights!
- Do it for your early emerging pollinators and beneficial insects!
These trees bloom early to beat the rest to the punch! These attention hogs are all about garnering the attention of the earliest emerging pollinators.
Highly resilient to spring frosts and often flowering before the leaves have even considered showing up on the scene, spring-flowering trees are some of nature's hardiest!
5. Redbud Trees
Long-lasting blooms all along the stems and branches, the Pea-like clusters of bright pink - and sometimes white - flowers of the Redbud Tree are among spring's first string flowering plants! Not only native bees and early butterfly-friendly, but even hummingbirds in warmer climates appreciate the burst of nectar sources that smother the Redbud Tree!
Try one of these more unique forms of the Eastern Redbud that is native to most of the USA!
- Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud
- Sparkling Wine™ Redbud
- Cascading Hearts Weeping Redbud
- Pink Pom Poms Redbud
- Forest Pansy Redbud
Once these flowers fade, the show isn’t over! The green to purple heart-shaped leaves emerge colorful and glossy and fill out the sweet canopy of these airy trees!
4. Serviceberry
Early spring drifts of darling white blossoms, the fragrant 5-petalled blossoms are a boon to beneficial insects! Also showing up before the foliage, the fine-textured branching of the Serviceberry can be kept as either a shrub form or ‘limbed-up’ into a multi-branched tree. Some popular Serviceberry include:
- Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry
- Cumulus Serviceberry
- Cole's Select Serviceberry
- Regent Saskatoon Serviceberry
- Lustre® Serviceberry
Once the flowers fade, the lovely green leaves appear in lacy profusion as edible blueberry-like Juneberries form for your snacking and baking pleasure! Birds also adore these native trees and their cultivars. Then wrap up the growing season with some of the best fall color foliage available!
3. Willow Trees & Plants
Maybe not the showiest bloom, but just as vital to pollinators, the long, yellowish-green catkins of the Willow Tree family bring a unique combination of early spring flowers and motion to the landscape! Then take into account the unique flowers of the Pussy Willow that forms bunny tail-like fuzzy clusters that florists and home decorators adore as much as kids do! These touchable, soft pink to soft gray furry flowers will tickle you pink as early as January/February in mild winters & May in the coldest! The Curly, or Corkscrew Willows add contorted branching all winter and wavy leaves to their resumé!
- Navajo Willow
- Scarlet Curls Willow
- Weeping French Pussy Willow
- Dappled Willow Tree Form
- Weeping Willow Tree
Fast-growing trees and shrubs that handle higher moisture levels and bend and sway in the wind, the Willow is a standout tree on its own! The airy fine texture and soft green are lovely all growing season and the unique yellow to reddish bark and stems bring color even in the winter months!
2. Dogwood Trees
Drifts of pink or white four-petalled bracts with button-like clusters of true flowers at their center, the glorious Flowering Dogwood Tree sets the spring landscape alight with their unique flowering beauty! Graceful and highly ornamental branching only adds to the display! Some of the more unique Flowering Dogwoods include:
- Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree
- Cherokee Princess Dogwood
- Firebird™ Variegated Flowering Dogwood Tree
- Elizabeth Lustgarten Weeping Kousa Dogwood
- Appalachian Joy Dogwood Tree
The crinkled foliage and later emerging berries for birds, make Dogwood trees a joy to have in the landscape!
1. Witch Hazel Trees
Usually not even waiting for winter to be heading out the door, the Witch Hazel is a shrubby, sometimes suckering, flowering tree that can bloom anytime between October to November, but Hamamelis vernalis, or the Vernal Witch Hazel can bloom as early as February and March! The spidery or pompom-like yellow to reddish flowers carry a unique fragrance as well! The fall-blooming Common Witch-Hazel and Little Prospect Witch Hazel are equally unique additions to your landscape.
Whether you spell it Witchhazel or Witch-Hazel, these curious medicinal plants will delight you and your wildlife each year when few other plants are in flower!
Gearing Up For Spring!
Get ready for birds singing and life returning to your landscape! Add some Forsythia, Winter Health, Creeping Phlox, and Flowering Quince to your garden for some mid-sized early spring color to go with your grand trees!
While you are outside enjoying the melting snow, spring mud, and that spring garden to-do list, don’t forget to treat yourself by planting one of these harbingers of the growing season for you and your neighborhood to enjoy!
Hang in there - Just 53 Days until Spring!
Happy Planting!
