Choosing the right ornamental tree for springtime charm
CLAYTON, CA (Mar. 5, 2025) — The bare branches of the trees incorporated in our street meridians, lining our sidewalks and installed in our neighborhoods are beginning to swell with buds.
Their displays will have folks excited about the possibility of growing one of these fabulous trees in their landscapes. Which spring-blooming ornamental tree should you consider – flowering cherry or plum, redbud or crabapple, perhaps magnolia?
First, you need to understand their preferred growing conditions, disease and pest tolerance and mature sizes.
The baby pink blossoms that line our streets and many landscapes are flowering plum trees. Reddish-purple leaves follow the blossoms. Mature heights depend on the variety. Two of the most sought-after selections are Krauter Vesuvius and Purple Pony.
Krauter Vesuvius can grow fairly large, 18-20 feet tall and 10-12 feet wide. Krauter Vesuvius has a single light pink flower and will eventually yield small, edible fruit.
Purple Pony is a naturally semi-dwarfed, sterile selection. It will only reach 10-12 feet tall and about half as wide. It seldom yields fruit. This selection has single pink flowers.
Either of these flowering ornamental trees will stand out in the landscape. The purplish-red foliage is summer hardy and will not green up with the heat.
Flowering cherry trees have showy, fabulous flowers that are either single or double blossoms of pinks or white. Some of the most popular flowering cherry trees are the weeping selections. Grafted trunks swell with age, and weeping arms can hang close or sprawl wide.
Snow Fountains has white blooms and is a garden standout. Prunus pendula Double Weeping is a weeping flowering cherry with a double, rose-pink flower. Standard cherry blossoms trees such as Kwanzan and Yedoensis Akebono are also favorites within our local landscapes.
All ornamental cherry trees are susceptible to scale, which can be difficult to control. It can become an infestation quickly, so keep your eyes open for ant trails.
Flowering pear trees are the most beautiful, yet disappointing trees around. They boast speed of growth, a dramatic spring flower display and awesome fall color … but these trees get blight. It starts at the tip of the branches in the summer, and many think their tree’s limbs are being burned. Quickly, the blight can travel through the tree, getting worse as each new summer progresses. Spraying and pruning infected limbs hasn’t proven to be all that successful, so we advise folks to avoid planting this ornamental.
Meanwhile, redbud trees are fantastic. Eastern and Western both do very well. You can find low branch habits, multi-trunk and standard shaped trees. The spring-time white flowering trees in Clayton’s Grove park are a selection of redbud.
Western redbuds are native California trees. This selection has been in high demand for the past few years and is nearly impossible for me to find for the nursery.
Saucer magnolia trees, aka tulip magnolia trees, mature into stunning specimens. They are one of the first flowers of spring. Its large flowers with heavy petals are a favorite of many. Varieties to look for are Alexandrina and Susan. Flowers are deep pink to light pink-almost white.
Install your saucer magnolia away from walkways or drives, because the petal drop can be messy.
You can contact Nicole Hackett with questions or comments by email at gardengirl94517@yahoo.com.
Nicole Hackett
Nicole is the Garden Girl at R&M Pool, Patio, Gifts and Garden. You can contact her with questions or comments by email at gardengirl94517@yahoo.com