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“Where you always get the help you need”

Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs

April 3rd 2010

Presented byRob Kasper  

1051 US Highway Rt. 202, Ringoes NJ, 08551 (908) 788-2600

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IntroductionFlowering trees and shrubs are some of them most wonderful and interesting vegetationthat one can plant around their home and it seems every spring that they awaken thelandscape and let us know that warm weather is on its way. Beginning in late winter, WitchHazel blooms its beautiful yellow and red flowers that last until spring, when forsythiablossoms, which then leads into a variety of color from countless other plant life. Spring

flowering trees and shrubs are the reason we plant specific plants in our landscape andwithout them we would have to wait for weeks to get color in our gardens. Flower colorsranging from white to yellow to pink and red begin to sprout everywhere you look. Not onlydo these great plants bring color with them but also some bring great aromas, butterfliesand even create fruit that small mammals and birds eat through the fall and winter.

Types of FlowersWhen deciding what kind of flower we want in a landscape most of us think of whether it

should be long and spiky, wide and fluffy or standing alone. There are howevermany different ways flowers express themselves depending on how they pollinateand reproduce. Plants can either produce one single flower or multiple flowers inclusters. It is also important to consider whether the flower will stand out or if it

will be more subdued in a landscape.

Single flowerPlants can create single flowers in several forms. Plants like daisies and sunflowers create“composite” flowers that have a center made of minute flowers, looking like one singleflower, with many tiny petals surrounding them fanning out like rays from the sun. Theseflowers are actually a grouping of tiny florets combined to create a large disk. Roses have aflower that gets its own shape name, “rosette,” while petunias have a flaring tubular shapecalled “salverform.” Some plants that produce single flowers include magnolia, rose,forsythia, dogwood, hibiscus and quince.

Multiple flowersOn many trees and shrubs single flowers can easily become looked over while plants with

large clusters of flowers become desired to provide ornamental feature and color in thelandscape. Plants like lilac, butterfly bush, and rhododendron are able to stand out becauseof their multiple flowers with ample color. Other popular plants with clusters of flowersinclude spirea, clethra, itea, ornamental plum, hydrangea, hawthorn and redbud

Cluster shapes include: Spikes – flowers directly attached to the stemRaceme – flowers attached to the stem with a stalkPanicle – a cluster with many branchesCorymb – outer flowers opening firstCyme – outer flowers opening lastUmbels – umbrella shape

Where Are They Borne?Flowers can have different effects when they grow off of various parts of the plant. Whilesome flowers stand out by shooting out the top of a branch (terminal), others hide behindstems and leaves inside the crown of the plant (axil).

 Terminal – flowers that grow off of the end of a branch. Flowering trees and shrubsthat exhibit this quality include lilac and hydrangea. Often times people prune theseplants to create more terminals and therefore obtain more flowers.Axil – flowers that bloom off of the angle between the stem and leaf such asforsythia. It is common for plants that flower this way to produce more flowers thanplants that create flowers terminally.

A number of plants are actually able to both produce terminal flower and axil flowers at thesame time.

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Spring Flowering Trees and ShrubsAlthough there are over 250,000 flowering plants in the world, few of them are trees andshrubs, and even fewer are trees and shrubs that can be considered ornamental enough forpeople to put in their landscape. Listed and described below are some of the mostcultivated and used flowering trees and shrubs.

Trees

Callery pear

 The original species, which can get to be 30 feet tall, is native to China and is fast growingand pyramidal when young, becoming upright to rounded with age. Prolific and fragrantwhite flowers bloom before foliage in the spring. The small russet-colored fruit is marble-sized and neither ornamental or all that messy. The tree’s glossy foliage often becomesorange to scarlet to deep crimson in fall.

 The cultivated variety 'Bradford' has dense, handsome foliage and is affected by few pests.It’s hardy statewide, tolerant of all but wet or poorest soils, and is fire blight resistant. Newercultivars include 'Aristocrat' and 'Chanticleer' (also known as 'Cleveland Select'). These aresomewhat less prone to storm damage than ‘Bradford' because they have better branchinghabits.

Crabapple

Flowering crabapple is one of the many flowering treesthat dress up our landscapes in spring. It is tolerant of winter cold and summer heat making it useful throughoutthe U.S.

 They are easily one of the most popular flowering treestoday. Not only are they splendid in bloom, they areprized for their attractive and persistent fruits that attract

birds. There are more than 200 named cultivars andvarieties of crabapple.

When deciding to use crabapples in your landscape you should be aware of the maintenancerequired to take advantage of the full value as ornamentals. Pruning is necessary tomaintain their proper growth habit and diseases like apple scab, cedar apple rust and fireblight need to be controlled by using cultivars or varieties that are created with naturaldefenses. Chewing and scale insects are sometimes a problem as well. Diseases can beprevented and insects controlled by following the spray schedule, as long as the currentvarieties on your property are susceptible.

Eastern redbud

 These great forest border trees may have an irregular crown but also bloom withoutstanding bold pink flowers in early spring. The small purplish pink flowers bloom inclusters before leaves emerge from the limbs, which eventually turn yellow in fall. The fruit,while not necessarily ornamental, are clusters of hanging dark brown pods that persistthrough fall and winter. Specimens, masses, or naturalizing at edge of woods are the bestuses of this partial shade-loving tree.

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Flowering cherry

Flowering cherries are best as specimens, accents, and groups or inborders. Most cherries are slow growing. They respond well to goodsoil or soil improvement and tend to decline in vigor on poor, wet orheavy soils. The fruits of most flowering cherries are hardlyconsidered ornamental, but they are very attractive to birds.Attention must be given to pruning, fertilization and borer controlto ensure that the tree will continue to thrive for many years.

Flowering dogwood

 The flowering dogwood is one of the most popular of our native flowering trees. It can bedescribed as rounded to upright, reaching 30 feet with an open form and horizontalbranching. Its growth is slow to moderate. Spectacular white bracts are often mistaken tobe flowers and can bloom before leaves appear. Medium sized glossy, red fruits endure infall while the foliage becomes lustrous and scarlet colored for an extended period.

Used as specimens, masses, or naturalized under large trees, it prefers deep, moist butwell-drained soil. Remember to avoid planting in a hot, dry exposure. Improve tight orshallow soils and use mulch around the base of the tree to protect spreading roots. Old orinjured specimens can be subject to borer damage. 

 Japanese dogwood

A vase shaped tree when young, Kousa dogwood becomes a rounded tree with horizontalbranching that will get to about 20 feet at maturity. With large, pointed, white to pinkishbracts produced a few weeks after flowering, this dogwood keeps its flowers for a very longtime. Its fruit is medium, reddish- pink, raspberry-like, and attractive to birds. Kousas’foliage is scarlet in fall and, like the florida species, grows best in partial shade and can beused as a specimen or patio tree.

Cornelian cherry dogwood

Rounded like the previous two dogwoods, Cornus has dense ascending branches. Eventhough it is shrub-like when young, its vigorous growth leads to a maximum height of 20feet. Clusters of small yellow flowers bloom before foliage appears and like other plantsflower early in the spring, allowing this dogwood to stand out when every thing else is

brown. The foliage is lustrous and red in fall. Its fruits, cherry like, edible for humans, andattractive to birds.

Best used as specimens, groups and in borders. Prefers excellent to average soils and inthe right conditions is hardy and relatively pest free.

Flowering plums

Although they produce beautiful pinkish white flowers, the most popular plums are thosethat have reddish purple foliage. These trees create rounded to upright, densely branchingcrowns and their flowers can be double or single.

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Plum cultivars with bright-colored foliage that have become popular and commonlyavailable include 'Newport' and 'Thundercloud;' they are used as specimens or accents inlandscape around the home or in parks and universities. The varieties 'Atropurpurea' and'Nigra' have darker foliage colors. Fruits, when present, are edible but are not ornamental.

Plums, while outstanding in foliage and flower will require regular maintenance pruning,fertilization and occasional spraying to maintain vigor. Sunscald is often destructive tounshaded or unprotected trunks.

Hawthorn

Hawthorns can be used in the landscape for four seasons of ornamental interest from thebright white flower clusters blooming in May above to the orange/red fruit produced in fall.

 There are many species, varieties and cultivars of hawthorn and each are valued forprofuse flowers, fruits and picturesque growth habit. Though dense and thorny, exceptionsto these characteristics exist on thornless varieties and on ‘Winter King’ which loses itsthorns as it matures. Many are native to North America and grow well on all but wettestand poorest soils.

Best used as specimens its fruit are highly attractive to birds. Some varieties are subject toborers, cedar-hawthorn rust, fire blight, and leaf-eating insects. ‘Winter King' is much more

resistant to rust than the more commonly planted Washington Hawthorn.

Red horsechestnut

 This unusual flowering tree is a hybrid between horsechestnut and the small, red floweringbuckeye, Aesculus pavia. It is a rounded tree that grows to about 35 feet tall, but is smallerthan its horsechestnut parent. The most commonly planted cultivar ‘Briotii', produces 10-inch-long panicles of pinkish red flowers with yellow throats in May that look spectacularagainst the large, glossy leaves. Red horsechestnut is susceptible to a leaf blotch fungusand should be planted in full sun with good air circulation to reduce the incidence of disease.

Saucer magnolia The Saucer magnolia provides splashes of spectacular color in thespring season. Its natural habit is shrubby and rounded tospreading and its multiple stems but may be trained to a singletrunk. It grows rather slowly to 25 feet but flowers at an early age.Its cup-shaped flowers are white tinged with pink or purple colorsthat appear before leaves.

Best used as a specimen, lawn tree or in small groups. Throughouttheir northern range, late spring frost will occasionally injureflowers. For best survival transplanting should be done in the

spring.

Star magnolia

A dense, mounded, large shrub or small tree reaching 20 feet this tree produces large, whitestar-like flowers that appear in early April before leaves. Its dark green leaves change in fallto yellow and even bronze in sunny locations. The Star Magnolia is best used as a specimenor in small groups. Ideally transplanting should be done in the spring.Because this magnolia flowers out so early it may be susceptible to frostdamage in early spring but is generally pest free. These great lowgrowing trees must be pruned immediately after flowering.

Serviceberry

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Serviceberry is one of the first trees to bloom each spring, bringing butterflies along with itsflowers. Its upright habit in youth begins to become oval and spreading with age. Ultimateheight may exceed 40 feet in optimum locations. Its masses of small white flowers appear inclusters throughout early spring, followed by red, edible berries that are quickly eaten bybirds. New leaves may be red on certain varieties and fall foliage is yellow, golden or red.

Use this tree as a specimen or lawn planting, in border masses or as naturalistic groups. Itprefers well-drained sites. Only occasionally do leaf-eating insects damage it.

 

Shrubs

Weigela Shrubs 

 This plant is a flowering shrub that exhibits an upright weeping habit. The weigela species isan extremely popular shrub. Its flower colors can range from pure white to ruby red and theleaf colors add a spectacular contrast by contributing dark green, purple, variegated andbright yellow foliage to the plant. This is a butterfly favorite, so if you enjoy watchingbutterflies, this is a must have bush.

Forsythia Shrubs 

Another popular flowering shrub that can grow to a height of 8 - 10 feet high and 12feet wide is the forsythia. This shrub produces upright arching branches with brightyellow flowers in early spring letting you know its time to get outside and treat yourlawn for crabgrass. It has a preference to grow in a loose rich soil, but can toleratealmost any type. You can prune/trim the older branches down to the ground afterblooming has been completed to ensure new shoots and great flowering next spring.Like the weigela shrub, this bush is also very easy to maintain.

Viburnum Shrubs 

 There are more than 150 species of this shrub. Viburnum is one of the most

underused flowering shrubs in the garden. Usually found in botanical gardens andarboretums, viburnum requires very little attention and maintenance. It getsbeautiful white, cream or pink flowers in the spring leading to many different colorsof fruit, depending on the species, in the fall. This shrub is resistant to disease andpests, including deer.

Lilac Shrubs 

It seems the lilac has been around for ages. It may be because they are fairly easy tomaintain with pruning only needed pruning after the blooming period is completed inlate spring. Its flowers range from white to pink, purple and blue. This shrub prefersfull sun in a well-drained area. An excellent benefit of this bush is that it attractsbutterflies and bees. This would be a beneficial shrub to plant around you garden

since it does attract the bees, which in turn will help with pollination of your plants.

IN THE LANDSCAPE

Use of Flowering trees and shrubsSpecimen plants are grown to be used by themselves in a lawn orgarden for ornamental effect, rather than being massed withothers, as are bedding plants or edging plants. As a resultspecimen plants can serve as focal points in landscape design. For

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example, a great spring flowering specimen plant could be a Redbud, Flowering Plum or anytree that has an outstanding spot reserved for it. Forcing flowers from your flowering trees and shrubs is one way to enjoy colorfularrangements of your outdoor plants indoors during colder months of the year. To ensurethat you’re going to get the most out of your forced flowers it is important to follow properprocedure.

1. As with all pruning, make sure that your shears

are sharp and also clean of any debris/disease. Itis best to make your cuts in the early morningwhen your plant has its maximum amount of water and will remain healthy looking.

2. In preparation, fill a bucket with water and besure to bring it with you so you can place theflowers directly into water after being cut.

3. While still in the water, remove ½” from thebottom of the cutting and make a slit at thebottom of the new cut to help with waterabsorption. Also remove any leaves or stems to hinder rot that may develop.

4. Pour warm water into a vase. Mix in a packet of floral preservative (found atcraft stores or florist shops).

5. Wait for your flowers to bloom and enjoy when they do. Be sure to changethe water frequently or when it begins to get cloudy.

Among more formal uses of trees and shrubs is creating anallée or a straight walk or driveway lined on both sides withtrees or tall shrubs of the same age and species. The useof an allée can create direction and movement to gardensor up to a home. Some flowering trees and shrubs createcolorful springtime passages. Crabapple, Pear,Amelanchier, Redbud and Magnolias are all great

candidates for such a use.

Another way to show off your spring flowering shrubs is the use of espaliering or a way of growing plants by training them to grow in a pattern on fence, trellis or wall. Floweringquince, camellia, cotoneaster, crabapples, mock orange have all had great success fillingthis role. It is best to grow these plants on south facing, brick walls. White paint is also agood place when facing south but darker colors should only be used in places that don’treceive full sun.

In places where houses are not surrounded by forest, plant barriers such as hedges and aremuch more attractive ways of creating space between your home and your neighbors than afence. For an informal hedge with beautiful flowers lilac, viburnum, rhododendron andhydrangea all keep a visual barrier between two places and also bring beautiful flowersalong with wildlife.

Use of colors in the landscapeWhen placing all of your spring flowering trees and shrubs it is always a good idea toconsider what colors will be next to each other at all times of the growing season.One way you can use color to it best ability is to use two or three colors that are next toeach other on the color wheel such as blue and purple. To do so, a landscape designercould place Hydrangea and PJM Rhododendron together.

Another more complex method uses color triads, or 3 alternating colorson the color wheel, like yellow, blue and red. This technique can bemore difficult due to all the variables created with more plants. One

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way to create a harmonious landscape with these colors would be to use red maple,forsythia and Colorado Blue Spruce.

Using complimentary colors, like yellow and purple, or red and green always helps to make alandscape feel more complete and helps with movement through an area.

Be aware that although flower colors in the spring may be complimentary not all plantsexhibit the qualities to fit into a theme all year. It’s important to make sure the flowering

plants you use grow well in the same conditions.

Colors on there own can also create different effects.Warm colors (Red/Orange/Yellow) – draw attention to a focal point and make a large areaseem smaller and intimateCool colors (Blue/Purple/Green) – relax and make an area appear larger

Promoting healthy insects/animals

Watching birds, butterflies and bees, along with otherfascinating wildlife, interact with nature is one of life’s

 joys. Many spring flowering trees and shrubs createmore interest than just appealing to the eye but can

also enhance your garden by attracting animals.

Some flowering shrubs that attract wildlife are RedChokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia, which, with its beautifulwhite fragrant flowers and tart red fruit attractmammals and birds. The fruit is edible for humans aswell. Another shrub, which has many varieties thatattract wildlife, is the viburnum family. By producing

stunning white to pink flowers beginning in spring and blooming through the summer andcreating white to red and blue fruit in the summer and fall, viburnums are wonderful animalattracting plants. Other flowering shrubs that attract wildlife throughout the year areBlueberries, Vaccinium species, Cherries, Sand Cherries and Cherry Laurels, Prunus speciesand some Honeysuckle species.

Spring flowering trees are also a great way to attract anassortment of wildlife. Hawthorns in your landscape alwaysadd color interest in spring with clusters of white flowersfollowed by red fruit that birds flock to. Species of theAmelanchier is also a very beautiful plant altogether, flowers,form and fruit. The spring blossoms lure butterflies and theirfruit is not only edible to animals in the wild but is somethingeven humans can enjoy alone or in jams. Another eye-catching plant with incredible spring flowers are many speciesof dogwoods. By creating berrylike fruit ranging from blue tored, animals like birds and small mammals will hang aroundyour home, on your accord.

Having flowering and fruiting trees isn’t the only way to help to ensure animals will flourisharound your landscape. Creating gardens with shelter, water and breeding spots willguarantee plenty of wildlife thriving on your property.

MAINTENANCE

Flowering Tree and Shrub Diseases and PestsEven when practicing your best to keep a plant healthy with proper nutrition, watering andplacement in the landscape your plant may become infected with diseases and pests. While

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it is important to monitor your entire plant for pest and diseases, flower diseases can spoilwhat a plant is there to display. There are good management practices, which can be usedto reduce these diseases and keep your plants attractive year round.

Many of the diseases that devastate flower petals are fungi. Various blights are a hugecontributor to ruining flowers on many plants including: Amelanchier, Rhododendron/Azalea,Cotoneaster, Crabapple, Dogwood, Hawthorn, Lilac and Rose. To diagnose blight, look forflowers that get brown spots, wilt and sometimes mummify on the plant, leading to future

infection. Rot, another fungi, causes flowers to lose their attractive quality very quicklyturning the flower brown and create oozing cankers on twigs.

A disease that targets Dogwoods and creates tiny brown spots on flower bracts is spotanthracnose. This disease will cease when humidity decreases.

Preventative Measures There are a few ways to reduce the spread and even stop this problem. The first thing to dois prune infected tissue, removing infected fruit to making cuts a few inches back from theinfected flower while consistently cleaning your shears. Also avoiding overhead irrigation isanother preventative measure that works by only allowing water around the base of theplant and not on the flowers, leaves or stems. If it is possible, water underneath the plantswith soaker hoses. If necessary you can also resort to using fungicides some of which canbe purchased at local nurseries while others must be applied by a certified applicator. As aresponsible gardener always follow Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and be sure of diagnoses to treat plants properly.

Fertilizing Flowering Trees and ShrubsUnless definite need of fertilization exists, do not fertilize. To encourage flower bud

production you can apply a fertilizer that contains a small percentage of nitrogen, ahigher percentage of phosphorous, and a little potassium. Heavy applications of nitrogen may tend to reduce flowering and even lead to higher infestations of pests.If fertilization is necessary, apply fertilizer such as 12-12-12 or 5-30-5 in soil holes inthe spring. Always read and follow the label directions.

Pruning Flowering Trees and ShrubsPruning your trees and shrubs is vital to keeping your landscape safe and healthy. When

pruning your flowering trees and shrubs, you need to pay attention to more that justremoving overgrowth and dead, dying or diseased limbs; the right cuts can make avast difference in the amount of flowers that bloom in a given season. Before makingany cuts it is important to have the right tools that are properly sharpened and cleanof bacteria of fungus from past pruning work.

Timing

Going out with shears in hand on the first warm day after a long winter is always excitingbut you may be inclined to shape and clean up every tree and shrub you have on your

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property, leading to fewer flowers in the coming weeks. As a general rule it is best to wait toprune until after your plants have finished blooming. This can be at various times of theyear depending on the plants around your home.

For plants that bloom in early spring before new growth emerges, it is always best to hold off on pruning until late spring or summer. This is important to remember because the flowersare going to bloom off of last summers’ growth.

Some flowers, however, bloom later on in the spring into summer, off of this year’s newplant growth. Pruning for these plants and trees should take place in the winter or earlyspring to promote new growth and create a healthy growing environment for new buds.

Types of Pruning

While there are many types of pruning that are used to keep your landscape healthy,flowering trees and shrubs primarily require only a few variations.

Deadheading – this is the process of removing spent flowerblooms with the use of your hands or pruning shears. On shrubsdeadheading is done most often on large flowers that turn brown

and don’t fall off. Plants likerhododendron and andromeda benefitfrom this by reducing energy outputthe plant uses to create fruit andseeds. On plants like butterfly bushand rose, deadheading helps topromote rebloom of flowers as well.

 Thinning – thinning of trees and shrubs is done by removing anentire branch back to where it attaches to an older branch or even back to the ground. Thistype of cut is generally used to control vertical growth and/or to open up a dense shrub toallow sunlight to reach interior branches. Thinning will promote interior growth on olderplants where foliage only exists at branch tips. Cuts are ordinarily made to 1/5 to 1/3 of 

older branches. Common plants that benefit from such pruning cuts are abelia, mockorange and blue mist shrub.

Renewal Pruning – sometimes when a tree or shrub doesn’t flower or color up as it did in thepast it may be a good candidate for having all of its existing growth removed to promotenew, young healthy plant material. If it bothers you to remove the entire plant at once youcan also take the same steps as you would in thinning. Each year you may want to remove1/5 to 1/3 of older growth, eventually over time removing all old plant material. This willensure your plants will not die and you will have new growth with lot of flowers.

Flowering plants that can be cut to the ground:

Glossy abelia

ForsythiaHoneysuckleCommon lilacSpireaWeigela

 Abelia x grandiflora

Forsythia hybridsLonicera fragrantissimaSyringa vulgarisSpirea speciesWeigela species

Flowering plants to prune after flowering:

White forsythiaServiceberry

ChokeberryButterfly bush

 

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SweetshrubCamelliaRedbudFlowering quinceFringetreeFlowering dogwoodKousa dogwoodCornelian cherry

Winter hazelDaphneDeutziaPearl bushForsythiaGardeniaWitch-hazel

 Japanese kerriaBeautybushMagnoliaCrabappleSweet mockorangePeach/Plum/Cherry

Ornamental pearAzalea/RhododendronFlowering currantRoseBridalwreath Spirea

 Thunberg spirea Japanese tree lilacCommon lilacVibunumWeigela

 Abeliophyllum distichum Amelanchier 

 AroniaBuddleja alternfoliaCalycanthusCamellia japonicaCercisChaenomelesChionanthus virginicusCornus florida

Cornus kousaCornus masCorylopsis paucifloraDaphneDeutzia gracilisExochorda xmacranthaForsythiaGardenia jasminoidesHamamelisKerria japonicaKolkwitzia amailisMagnoliaMalus

Philadelphus coronariesPrunusPyrusRhododendronRibes sanguineumRosaSpirea prunifoliaSpirea thunbergiiSyringa reticulateSyringa vulgarisViburnumWeigela