This list of trees will offer choices wherever your garden is, north or south. We know the value of trees; they clean the air, add oxygen, store carbon, purify our water, provide shade and cooling, shelter wildlife, and other plants, and mitigate the effect of wind. We need them around us. And it is wise people who plant them.
“A society grows great when old men plant trees
whose shade they know they will never sit under”
-Socrates
But it is our flowering trees that make the landscape glow! They add a special enhancement of color and form. Fragrant, fruiting, and scented, if you appreciate local food there is nothing closer than fruit from your own garden.
We Love To Choose Flowering Trees
We love to choose flowering trees for our gardens and we enjoy their shade and beauty. Who will sit under them in the years to come? Will the trees we planted fill their lives with color? Scientists seem to have discovered that getting your hands dirty in the garden soil can help to increase the serotonin in your brain.
Carpe Diem!
Plant trees in your garden and enjoy them every day you can.
Choosing Flowering Trees
Choosing the right tree for your favorite spot takes thought. It is going to be with you for a long time to come. Here is the information you require to do this well.
The table below itemizes the features you will need to include in your evaluation.
Use the links inside each tree name to find more detailed information on the trees that interest you.
Why We Love Flowering Trees -Where We Love Them
Isn’t that the whole point? Flowering trees fill our lives with color, they tell us when the seasons change. They are around us every day. We look forward to them in winter and enjoy their fruits in fall. They can symbolize life for us all.
This is my attempt to quantify something as simple as flowering trees. I have divided them into temperate climate trees and warm climate trees with the important features highlighted.
Flowering Tree Ideas For Our Gardens
This List includes flowering trees, in different seasons for gardens in climates warm and cold.
Trees For Climates
Tropical Trees and Temperate Climate Trees
How are we going to divide these? Well, if freezing for our plants is below 32 degrees, the line should be below zone 9a. A tropical tree should be healthy somewhere in zone 9b. I spent a lot of my life in that zone and it seems like a reasonable line of demarcation.
The charts provide basic data, the links provide more information. After the name of the plant, the key information is the zone. There is such a thing as zone extension. In that case, you can extend your zone with the right microclimate. For example in my area, a few experts are experimenting with camellias, where it should be much too hot. I would love it to work. With trees, it might be expensive. Within the listed zones I have included the trees that should succeed.
Local advice and science-based advice is always the best. Call your County Extension Service. They have access to your state university research and there should be a very local experience for you. Do you have a local botanical garden or a good local garden center? Talk to them. You should get good advice from them.
Consider These Features As You Decide
I have ranked the features in order of importance. I might change my mind about the color but if the tree grows in zones 4-7 I can’t use it in my zone 10 gardens.
- Plant Hardiness Zones- a geographic area that includes the range of climate conditions necessary for any plant to survive. Here is how to find your zone. USDA plant hardiness zone. Just enter your zip code. Then, wherever you live, look for your zone listing.
- Sun, Shade, and Soil requirements of the tree. These are features you need to have either naturally or created by management for each tree to live.
- Tree size- how tall the tree will become and how extensive its root system is. Will the tree you love fit in your space?
- Bloom time, scent, fruit, and other attractions. These are features that may vastly improve the pleasure the tree gives you.
- Color of flowers, foliage, and fruit. Some species will provide you with options. Don’t overlook these important features.
- Fruit or edible parts.
- Wildlife interest. Do you want a blossom and spring plus nectar for pollinators and fruit for the birds?
- Wildlife pests and problems. DDS is one of your most important features. It means ” Deer Don’t Love” this plant.
Choose From Top Story Trees And Understory Trees
The top-story trees are those in the overstory, the top of the canopy. Those taller trees exist without shade and above the rest of the canopy. Some flowering trees are large. If you have space, they are magnificent. Many of the trees below have large varieties and some smaller versions.
Check the sizes of the variety you would like to buy before you buy and avoid an unpleasant surprise in 5-10 years!
Understory Trees
These trees comprise the vegetative layer between the forest canopy and the ground cover. If your garden space is smaller or if you need a tree near a building or a patio this is the category you require.
Temperate Climate Flowering Trees
These trees should give you pleasure in a climate with winter and summer. You should enjoy brilliant spring colors, just when you need them, healthy green summers, some color, and fruit in the fall, and if you are thoughtful, some shape and promise in winter.
| Tree Name | Hardiness zone | color | Bloom time | Light Conditions | Features |
| Magnolia | 4-9,10 | White, cream, pink shades | whatever you call spring | sun | Large blooms, leathery leaves. A plant that hat can cross zones. The Magnolia Tree with New Varieties |
| Flowering Crabapple | 3-8, some cultivars beyond | don’t stop at white | spring, plenty of fall color opportunities | sun | Multi-season tree, more edible fruit than we realize.https://rootsandmaps.com/flowering-trees-flowering-crabapple/ |
| Flowering Cherry | 5-8 | lots, you will be surprised | spring, fall fruit for birds | var | ‘How to Grow Flowering Cherry Trees-A Practical Guide.’ |
| Dogwood | 3-8, Cornus florida var rubia z 9 | whites and pinks | spring | https://rootsandmaps.com/flowering-trees-dogwood/ | |
| Redbud | 4-9 | varied, also foliage color | early spring | Multi-season tree, with more edible fruit than we realize. ‘The Eastern Redbud: A Classic American Native‘ | |
| Rose of Sharon | 5-8 | Various | late summer and fall | Origins in China https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ |
Tropical Climate Flowering Trees
These are all about vibrant color and vigor whatever the season.
| Tree Name | Hardiness zone | Color | Bloom Time | Light Conditions | Features |
| Pink Shower Tree | 10b-11 | pink/purple pink/yellow | spring 5-8 week | sun | disease resistant, medium size, long bloom period The Pink Shower Tree |
| Tropical Hibiscus | 9-11, a summer flower in temperate climates | more than you can use | all year | sun | many sizes of plant, popularity creates many new cultivarshttps://rootsandmaps.com/tropical-hibiscus-in-containers-and-in-the-garden/ |
| Jacaranda | 9-11 | Blue/Purple | spring | sun | Where to Grow a Jacaranda Tree |
| Purple Trumpet Tree | 9b-11 | Pink/Purple | spring | sun | Early bloomer, adaptable Purpl e Trumpet Tree |
| Royal Ponciana | 9b-11 | Red, red, orange. yellow | late spring-summer | sun | Royal Poinciana Tree |
| Crepe Myrtle | 7-10 | various | all summer | sun | https://rootsandmaps.com/flowering-trees-crepe-myrtle/ |
Summary,
There is an occasional crossover between zones and tree varieties. For example, the Magnolia, an ancient plant, existing around the globe including some very cold climates has varieties that are successful for us in tropical zone 10a. Do good local research including your county extension office for free advice, and your best garden centers, and do not overlook your nearby arboretum and botanical gardens. You can visit these places and see plants in situ.