| Flowering apricot trees offer spectacular flowering | | | | view the golden yellow flowers that begin |
| blooms earlier than any other flowering tree, | | | | blooming in summer and then reappear several |
| sometimes blooming as early as January. This | | | | times until frost. Paulownia, Blue Princess or |
| early flowering can result in cold weather damage | | | | Empress Tree, produces spectacular clusters of |
| in some areas of the United States. New | | | | purple-blue flowers, sometimes growing three feet |
| outstanding cultivars of flowering apricot trees can | | | | in length. This fast growing tree is best known for |
| be purchased from mail order nursery retailers. | | | | being planted as a commercial timber tree |
| Prunus mume flowers, in early spring with flower | | | | investment by former President, Jimmy Carter. |
| colors of red, pink, and white, all blooming on the | | | | Red Tips, Photinia fraseri, is best known in the |
| same twigs of the tree. Double flowers of apricot, | | | | spring growing bright red tips and waxy leaves, |
| dark-red cover the limbs of the flowering apricot, | | | | however, red tip is very fast growing, and in late |
| Matsubara Red. Pure white flowers appear in early | | | | spring, following the tips of leaves reddening, giant |
| spring on the flowering apricot, Rosemary Clarke, | | | | clusters of fragrant white flowers cover the tree. |
| and the pink flowering, weeping apricot, W.B. | | | | Scarlet locust trees, Sesbania grandifloria, is a |
| Clarke, blooms in January. Rose-red flowers | | | | native tree to the United States, growing |
| appear on the flowering apricot tree, Peggy | | | | vigorously in wetlands and producing brilliant scarlet |
| Clarke, in early spring. | | | | blooms in the spring. The flowers completely |
| Mimosa flowering trees, Albizia julibrissin 'Rosea', | | | | cover the twigs of the tree with a backdrop of |
| was introduced into the United States from the | | | | bright-green, fern-like leaves, delicately fluttering in |
| Orient, and was commonly known as the 'Silk | | | | the slightest breeze. Very few trees offer |
| Tree'. The feather red or pink blooms cover the | | | | recurring flowers of such brilliant colors like Scarlet |
| mimosa branches in summer, and the fragile | | | | locust trees, Sesbania grandiflora. |
| graceful leaves are fern-like, and they flutter in air | | | | Sweetbay Magnolia, Magnolia virginiana, produces |
| when wafted by the slightest breeze. The Mimosa | | | | bold-white, lemon scented blooms, appearing much |
| tree can be grown in almost any type of soil and | | | | like a miniature Southern Magnolia flower, Magnolia |
| is cold hardy from zones 6 - 10. | | | | grandiflora. The waxy, Sweetbay magnolia blooms |
| Flowering Peach trees, Prunus persica, were very | | | | appear, beginning in the fall. This evergreen |
| commonly seen and grown in the early United | | | | magnolia tree has fragrant bark and leaves that |
| States, but a gardener faces a difficult task to | | | | can be substituted for the herb, bay leaves. |
| find a large flowering peach tree to buy at a | | | | Sweetbay magnolia trees turn dramatic colors of |
| nursery. Pink flowering peach trees, Prunus persica | | | | red, yellow, and orange during the fall, but fall |
| 'Pink', cultivars can be purchased to bloom either | | | | intermittently followed by waxy-green new |
| early or late; White flowering peach, Prunus | | | | leaves. Even though the Southern Magnolia, |
| persica 'White', can also be purchased in an early | | | | Magnolia grandiflora, is classified as an evergreen |
| or late blooming cultivar; Prunus persica 'White | | | | shade tree, it is famous for the gorgeous fragrant |
| Icicle', Peppermint flowering peach trees produce | | | | flowers of huge proportions, one foot wide, that |
| variegated flowers randomly colored petals of | | | | bloom in early summer. Renowned Artists of |
| red, pink, and white. The Helen Borchers flowering | | | | paints and cameras have admired the glorious |
| cherry, Prunus persica 'Helen Borchers' is a recent | | | | Magnolia blossom and chose to pose them to |
| outstanding blooming. | | | | compose masterpiece works that would be |
| Redbud flowering trees, Cercis canadensis, are | | | | celebrated in Museums of the World. Many |
| also known as the Eastern Redbud tree and were | | | | hybridizers have chosen to genetically create |
| first collected to plant at the home of John | | | | Japanese Magnolias of many sizes and colors; |
| Bartram, the famous early American botanist of | | | | white, red, pink, purple and red. Some mail order |
| the 1700's. In early spring the leafless twigs are | | | | nurseries offer sites to buy outstanding hybrids |
| completely covered with red-pink flowers, | | | | like: Alexander Magnolia, Brooklyn Girls magnolia |
| qualifying this redbud tree as a favorite, native | | | | trees, Butterfly magnolia, Little Gem magnolia |
| American flowering tree to plant and grow in the | | | | tree, Leonard Messel magnolia shrub, Randy |
| garden landscape. | | | | Magnolia Bush, Southern Select magnolia tree, Star |
| The flowering honeylocust tree, Gledisia | | | | White magnolia, Sunsation magnolia, Wada's |
| triacanthus inermis, is one of the most beautiful of | | | | Memory magnolia tree, and Yellow Lantern |
| all early spring blooming trees. Gardeners find it | | | | Magnolia trees. |
| difficult to locate and buy honeylocust trees from | | | | Gordonia flowering tree, Gordonia lasianthus, is |
| a nursery. The fragrant white flowers appear | | | | also known as the loblolly bay tree, that is closely |
| along with the airy fern-like leaves that flutter as | | | | related to and similar to the "Lost Gordonia", that |
| a bright green backdrop to the glowing, | | | | had almost become extinct, except for the |
| pure-white flowers that attract a host of bird | | | | fortunate rescue by famous botanist and |
| species to nest in the dense honeylocust | | | | explorer, William Bartram, who in 1773 wrote in |
| branches. | | | | his book, Travels, page 465, a memorable |
| The Wisteria, Wisteria sinensis, is usually thought | | | | description. The flowering tree was named by him |
| of as being a vine, but the vine habit can be | | | | after his good friend, Benjamin Franklin, Franklinia |
| overcome, if it is staked after grafting and trained | | | | altamaha, "I had the opportunity of observing the |
| to grow as a wisteria tree. Wisteria sinensis | | | | new flowering shrub, resembling the Gordonia, in |
| 'Cooke's Purple', grows into a fragrant, purple | | | | perfect bloom, as well as bearing ripe fruit. It is a |
| stream of pea-like flowers, trailing long and | | | | flowering tree of the first order, for beauty and |
| followed by green, glistening leaves that are cold | | | | fragrance of blossoms...the flowers are very large, |
| hardy from zone 5 - 9. A grape-like cluster of | | | | expand themselves perfectly, and are of snow |
| purple flowers emit a fragrance of grapes with | | | | white colour, and ornamental with a crown of |
| pure white blooms in the cultivar; Wisteria tree, | | | | tassel of gold coloured refulgent staminae..." We |
| Wisteria sinensis 'Texas White', is an excellent | | | | never saw it grow in any other place, nor have I |
| white-flowering Wisteria tree. | | | | ever seen it growing wild, in all my travels from |
| A number of less pursued flowering trees are: | | | | Pennsylvania...to the Mississippi." Cassia trees, are |
| Japanese Snowball Tree, Viburnum plicatum, that | | | | covered completely in in the fall with golden yellow |
| flowers in summer and again in the fall if abundant | | | | flowers in late fall growing to 12 feet tall. Cassia |
| water is applied. The grapefruit size, | | | | trees are cold hardy in zones 8 - 10, and the |
| greenish-white flower clusters are stunning and | | | | beautiful fern-like leaves almost escape notice |
| dramatic, as they bloom before the leaves | | | | when the Cassia tree is in full bloom. The Chaste |
| appear. The Jerusalem tree, Parkinsomia aculeata, | | | | Tree, Vitex agnus-castus, is covered with flowers |
| is also called the 'Jew Tree'; by tradition was | | | | in summer and fall with fragrant flowers in colors |
| rumored to be the tree that was used to prepare | | | | of blue or white being available to buy. The |
| the 'crown of thorns' that was placed on the head | | | | gray-green leaves of the Chaste trees are very |
| of the crucified, Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. The | | | | fragrant, and the trees are cold hardy in Zones 6 |
| fern-like leaves provide a background of green to | | | | - 10. |