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Larry A. Sagers Regional Horticultural Specialist Utah State University Extension Service Thanksgiving Point Office © All Rights Reserved
Gardening Mini Expo
April 16th 2005 Thanksgiving Gardens Visitor Center
Register at www.thanksgivingpoint.com or call Gretchen at 801 768 7443
Welcome to Gardening in Utah Utah's Best Vegetable Varieties Pruning Shrubs the Right Way Understanding Happy Healthy House Plants Soils and Fertilizers What's Growing On? Water Features to Improve your Landscape Beautiful Green Lawns Perennial Passions Floral Arrangements from your Garden Favorite Low Water Use Plants Outstanding Evergreens Rainbow of Annual Flowers Cloning Plants from Cuttings Garden Color for All Seasons Ripe Luscious Melons Hot Beds, Cold Frames and other Growing Structures Extraordinary Container Gardens
Geologically, singing about “Springtime in the Rockies” might not be technically correct but it does have a nicer ring to it than “Springtime in the Great Basin.” The colors right now are glorious pinks, luscious lavenders, glistening yellows, creamy whites and grandiose reds. All of these paint our gardens during this wonderful season.
Finding the right tree at this season is sometimes a case of color overload. Which of the myriad of spring flowering wonders are right for your landscape? As you try to make the selections, if often is a decision of which ones to leave out not which ones to choose.
Earlier this year, we covered the crabapples. While these are the most popular trees sold in America, they are by no means the only choices. The list is includes many flowering types of fruit trees and an extensive list of other choices.
When selecting from the palette of trees, do some research on which plants will grow well for you. Flowering trees, like all others, must fit the spot where they are going to grow. Regardless of how beautiful the flowers are, if they do not grow well, they never make good trees.
The flowers never compensate for other drawbacks. Look at how the tree is going to grow and what other landscape characteristics the plant might have in other seasons. A two week splash of color is not all that needed for an attractive landscape tree.
One popular group is the flowering stone fruits. These include flowering cherries, plums, peaches and nectarines. While these are highly attractive, they are less cold hardy than crab apple or pear trees so they do not do well in higher mountain valleys or in colder counties of the state. They are also susceptible to peach tree borers and may be severely damaged or killed by these pests.
At the top of the list are the flowering cherries. These come in dozens of varieties with single or double white, pink, or magenta flowers. Look for shapes that fit your growing area because the trees have forms from narrow upright columnar trees to broad, spreading trees, to weeping forms. They make excellent specimen trees if properly cared for.
For those planting in higher mountain valleys, the choice is more limited. The best stone fruit choice for colder areas is the flowering chokecherry. Besides being very cold hardy it has the advantage of red to purplish foliage in summer.
Flowering plums are attractive, but have several problems. Besides those mentioned previously, they have congested, upright growth that breaks down easily with snow or heavy winds. Although they are attractive, they are over used in many landscapes. If you decide to use flowering plums train them carefully when they are young to avoid future problems.
Don’t overlook the droplet shaped blossoms of the redbuds. Their brilliant purplish flowers in the spring add a special delight to the spring display. They are small trees that grow best if given light protection from the heat of the sun. ‘Forest Pansy’ is a variety with purple leaves.
Hawthorns are other small trees with many shapes, and colors. Choose improved varieties as many are susceptible to insects and diseases. Another common defect is crowded upright growth that needs regular pruning to keep them looking attractive. My own favorite is ‘Lavalle’.
Horse chestnuts have very large clusters of white or red flowers. Those with red flowers are smaller, more manageable trees that fit small landscapes better than their larger counterparts.
The black or Idaho locust has white or rich purple blossoms. These trees withstand hostile conditions and are cold hardy in most locations.
Spring blooming trees have never been more showy or had better display. Look for favorites to include in your plantings to make all future spring even more exciting as the bloom year after year.
