Flowering trees bring the landscape to life. Their blossoms will delight your senses and set your garden apart.
By Marty Ross
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Tree Advice from Our Experts
The best time to plant a tree is "when it is starting to rain and will rain for 4 days," says Bill Thomas of Chanticleer. Otherwise, newly planted trees should be watered generously.
The best time to plant a tree is "when it is starting to rain and will rain for 4 days," says Bill Thomas of Chanticleer. Otherwise, newly planted trees should be watered generously.
Start with small specimens, which will establish quickly, catching up to larger specimens before those have had a chance to settle in and really begin to grow.
Self-sown seedlings collected from your own neighborhood can be relied upon to transplant and take hold successfully.
Plant new specimens fairly close to trees already on your property to avoid the spotty, aimless effect of trees dotted here and there in an expanse of lawn.
Flowering trees look especially pretty in groves. Dennis Collins of Mount Auburn Cemetery suggests planting groups of three or more different sizes of trees for a more natural effect.
Using native trees is the best way to impart a sense of regional identity, and they attract native pollinators and birds.
Plant something different, says Guy Sternberg of Starhill Forest Arboretum. "If five neighbors on your street all have crabapples, enjoy theirs and do your own thing with something else."
Perfection is not always desirable. "The more perfect a tree's leaves, the less value to birds," says Stephen Kress of the National Audubon Society. "They favor trees with damaged leaves," Kress says, "and work those trees in search of insects."
Shop locally. Independently owned garden centers and nursery specialists are likely to have some treasures among their inventory, says Sternberg.
Chanticleer: A Garden for All Seasons
Many of the flowering trees featured here were photographed at Chanticleer, a 35-acre estate garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. The grounds around the estate home have been transformed into a lush and imaginative garden in which traditions are respected but creativity flourishes.
"I don't follow too many rules in gardening," says Bill Thomas, director of Chanticleer. "Designwise, a lot of it is taste," he says. When something doesn't work, he suggests, "compost your mistakes" and move on.
Contact: Chanticleer Garden, 786 Church Rd., Wayne, PA 19087; 610-687-4163, chanticleergarden.org. From April through October, the garden is open from 10 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Sunday. From May through August, the garden is also open until 8 P.M. on Fridays.
