August is the best time to talk about spring flowering trees. Why? Because the coming fall is the best time to plant them. I like to plant trees of all kinds in the fall, because the soil is warm and the trees are getting ready to go dormant, meaning they will require less care and watering. If planted correctly, and in the fall, you do not have to water as much, and you can just mulch them in and mostly forget them.
Some of my coworkers would say I am tough on trees, because I water less than I recommend. But I also know my soil conditions and how much water I actually need to apply. And I mulch every tree I plant with 6 inches of either sawdust mulch or soiled goat hay (it keeps the moisture in).
Anyways, there are a lot of spring flowering trees to choose from for the Central Great Plains region. If you live in warmer climates, such as Texas, South Carolina, or Florida, you may have more options, but you might not have the more direct change from cold winter to mild spring. Spring runs from March through June, but the spring flowering trees we can have bloom in March, April, and May.
March
There are only a few spring flowering trees which bloom in March. Magnolias are the main ones. Some fruit trees, such as apricots, may start in March, but typically bloom in April. The magnolias are tricky, because we are actually on the northern edge of their native range. They primarily grow in the south and southeastern US, where winter is less severe in terms of cold. Also, many grow well along the eastern coast of the US, drawing on ocean effect weather to keep it more mild.
But that does not mean we cannot grow magnolias. In fact, they grow well all the way into Nebraska, as far as Omaha. But they do not bloom as well, often being caught by a late freeze in March. However, there are some years where the magnolias in the Central Great Plains miss the freeze and bloom for 6 weeks or more.
Spring Flowering Trees – Magnolias
There are a lot of different kinds of magnolias. But the best ones for blooms in our region include the hybrids, saucer, and star magnolias. Most of these are not native to the US, but come from Asia. Southern magnolia will grow in Kansas, and indeed there are some large ones in Wichita, Kansas City, and Topeka; but may not bloom as well in the northern parts of the state.
Saucer Magnolias
Several years ago I discovered the Nebraska State Champion saucer magnolia in Falls City. There may be larger ones to the south and east, but for Nebraska, a 45 foot tall and 55 foot wide magnolia is impressive. The saucer magnolia, Magnolia x soulangiana, is a hybrid, first created in France. It is one of the earliest blooming spring flowering trees.
The flowers are pinkish white to all pink and large, up to 10 inches in diameter. The trees are adaptable to a wide range of soils, which may be why they are planted all over the place in the Central Great Plains.
Star Magnolia
The star magnolia, Magnolia stellata is a native to Japan, and possibly the hardiest of all the magnolias. It can be grown as far north as Minnesota. And it can be expected to flower too. It is often considered to be a shrub or small tree, although I have seen specimens as large as 20 feet tall and wide. The cultivar ‘Centennial Blush’ is a double pink-flowered variety, and has become quite popular in the nursery trade. The typical species has white flowers which bloom for 10 days to 2 weeks or more. There are a lot of star magnolias scattered around Brown County, KS.
Leonard Messel
This became one of my favorite spring flowering trees when I came across it at a jobsite. The double pink flowers do bloom in March and April, but they are extremely showy. It is hybrid between the star magnolia and the Kobus magnolia (also from Japan). There are other cultivars of this cross, called the Loebner magnolia, but Leonard Messel is my favorite. ‘Merrill’ is another outstanding selection, with white flowers. Both grow 25 feet tall and wide.
Spring Flowering Trees – April
There are around 14 species of trees which mainly bloom in April (there are more but are not showy). And we want the showiest spring flowering trees. I am going to break it down into colors, although the crabapples were the April plant of the Month for 2024, so check them out there. But April is when spring is really showing off that she has arrived, with daffodils, tulips, and many other spring flowering plants. Viburnums too are jumping out on the scene.
White Spring Flowering Trees
What tree do you think of first in the spring? Some would say the flowering pear, but I am going to steer away from them, because they have become highly invasive in many parts of the United States. But there are many good white flowering trees that will soon have to replace the callery pear in the landscape. With buy-back programs going full swing in several states, you cannot help but remove the pear.
Serviceberry
The serviceberry, Amelanchier species, may be the best overall replacement for the callery pear. There are a lot of cultivars available now, and most of the larger trees grow 30 feet tall and wide. The flowers, which are less fragrant than the pear, are more showy, appearing in “stacked” groupings. Bees and other pollinators of early spring flock to the flowers. And the fall color is excellent, being oranges and red mixed. Serviceberry also produces edible fruit, which is consumed by humans, mammals, and birds.
Whitebud
The whitebud is actually just a white flowering redbud, Cercis canadensis. There are a few cultivars available, such as the Oklahoma whitebud, ‘Royal White’, and ‘Miss America’. They grow 25 to 30 feet tall and wide and can be show stopping among the pinks and purples of crabapples and magnolias. I seem to be blessed with the property my wife and I purchased. Not only do I have a naturally occurring whitebud (this is very rare), I also have native ferns, thornless Osage orange trees, and a chartreuse leaved smooth sumac colony.
Pagoda Dogwood
One of the more underused trees in my opinion is the pagoda dogwood, Cornus alternifolia. Native to the Upper Midwest and New England, it grows very well in the Central Great Plains region. I have seen some excellent specimens in Kansas and Nebraska, and I have been impressed with their flowering capabilities. By blooming in April, the dogwood rarely gets damaged by late freezes. They grow 30 to 40 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide,
White Fringetree
Another underused tree, the white fringetree, Chionanthus virginicus, has come under some fire because it is supposedly susceptible to Emerald Ash borer. But because the borer attacks larger trees, not those with smaller diameters under 8 inches, there is a good chance that many white fringetrees will thrive. The white spring flowers have a lacy look and add depth to the landscape. White fringetree grows 20 to 30 feet tall and 20 feet wide.
Pink Spring Flowering Trees
Pink might be more showy in the spring, even as white is more well though of. But who can imagine spring without either? I love the pink flowering trees just as much as the white and yellow flowering trees. Pink is just such an attractive color and it stands out in the landscape. Have you even come across a grouping of pink and purple flowering redbuds in the woods? Breathtaking.
Redbud
While redbuds, Cercis canadensis, are actually pink, the name suggests color. The eastern redbud is common from the Great Plains to the East Coast, and is used frequently in the landscape. It is one of the most reliable spring flowering trees for the landscape. And with many new cultivars, from weeping forms, to variegated or purple leaves, you have much to choose from. I recently told my wife I would like to put together a redbud collection under the oaks and hickories along the driveway. I got quite the look from that.
But redbuds are quite showy in color and shape. If you pick the right cultivar, you can get a tree up to 35 feet tall and wide. Or a weeping tree 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide. It all depends on the selection. When my ‘Prairie Fire’ crabapple blew down in a tornado, I replaced it with a ‘Forest Pansy’ redbud, which has dark purple leaves. Redbuds are also quite adaptable, being able to grow in a variety of sun and soil conditions. Most will take full sun as well as part shade.
Pink Flowering Dogwood
Thanks to breeding programs, there are a lot of these more readily available. The flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, is native to the southeastern US, as well as most of the Midwest. In the Central Great Plains, it will grow well, but prefers some shade in late afternoon. So plant it with some cover. Dogwood anthracnose has affected much of the species, but the cultivars ‘Cherokee Chief’ and ‘Cherokee Sunset’ have proven resistant to the disease. Pink flowering dogwoods grow 30 to 40 feet tall by 30 feet wide.
Apricot
Wait, a fruit tree on this list? Yes, and why not? In our region, we only get a crop of apricots about 1 in 5 or 7 years. Therefore, the apricot is typically just a flowering tree in the landscape. I prefer to plant apricots with the idea in mind that they are a flowering tree, not a fruit tree. Apricots have slightly peeling bark as they age, and the shape of the tree is pleasant, growing 30 to 40 feet tall and wide. And the pink flowers in April are a must see. Sometimes you will get fruit, but not often enough to be a problem.
Yellow Flowering Trees
While there are not very many spring flowering trees that bloom yellow in the Central Great Plains, I have to share the 2 best ones. Yellow flowers in general are hard to come by, unless they are not showy, such as is the case with oaks and hickories. But there are a couple of trees worth noting.
Ohio Buckeye
The Ohio buckeye, Aesculus glabra, is native to the eastern Great Plains and lower Midwest region. It is a common tree in the wooded areas of the landscape, though it is not planted regularly. I would like to see that change, as it is a nice understory or small tree and fits nicely into the landscape. It grows 15 to 25 feet tall and wide. The flowers look like fluffy yellow candles emerging from the foliage and are quite showy. They are also visited by a number of early flying pollinators.
Cornelian Cherry Dogwood
The longest lived, and probably the toughest of all dogwoods, the Cornelian cherry, Cornus mas, is a native of Europe and Asia. It is a small tree, growing 25 feet tall and wide, depending on selection and cultivar. The small yellow flowers are showy in the springtime and they are followed by red or yellow, edible fruit. And they are delicious!
May Flowering Trees
May is one of the most floriferous times of the year, with all kinds of old-fashioned flowers, natives, and shrubs blooming. So where do spring flowering trees fit into all this color? Wherever they want to of course! A lot of the May flowering trees are very showy, or unique, so it is easy to add them into the landscape. In fact, they typically enhance the overall appearance of the garden and will help bring the flowers together.
White Flowering Trees
There are less trees in the May flowering group than in April, but they are not any less showy. And many of them have other attributes which makes them ideal for the landscape.
White Flowering Dogwood
In my experience, the white flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, blooms later than its pink flowering version. Maybe that is just the way it is supposed to be here. I do not know for sure. But the white flowering dogwood makes just as good of a show, blooming in May instead of April. The trees grow 25 to 35 feet tall and wide and have large white flowers, up to 8 inches across. Just like the pink flowering dogwood, they need some late afternoon protection from buildings or larger trees.
Hawthorns
There are a variety of native hawthorns, Crataegus species, to choose from. There are also pink flowering cultivars as well as white, but it really does not matter. They are all showy. The hawthorns can be thorned or thornless, depending on species and cultivar. Washington hawthorn, Crataegus phaenopyrum, is very adaptable, thornless, and has excellent disease resistance, which is necessary when planting hawthorns. Besides its flowers, the fall color and persistent red fruit in winter are the other great attributes. Hawthorns are slow growing, but do reach 30 feet tall and wide over time.
Black Cherry
The native black cherry, Prunus serotina, is the largest and most commonly found tree type cherry in North America. This is the tree that cherry wood for furniture and flooring comes from. It can be large, growing 50 to 60 feet tall by 30 feet wide. It is underused in the landscape, because of its tendency to spread by seed. But it is a marvelous tree for native plant and insect enthusiasts. The Prunus genus supports 450+ species of moths and butterflies. Flowers of the black cherry are long panicles which are visited by bees and butterflies. The fruit is black and small, good for jelly and flavoring, but not for fresh eating.
Red/Purple Flowers
Red Horsechestnut
This tree, the red horsechestnut, Aesculus x carnea, has become one of the prettiest trees I know of. Just like the Ohio buckeye, it has large showy flowers, which are red instead of yellow. It also has annoying and poisonous seeds, which are covered with a prickly shell. But the red horsechestnut grows 30 to 40 feet tall and wide, and is a good choice for landscapes. Despite all that, I planted one and it immediately got borers in its first year, but has been staging a comeback. I expect mine to flower again in 2024, after skipping 4 years for recovery.
Purple Robe Locust
This is actually a cultivar of the native black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia, which is considered a weed in many states. But Purple Robe has dark pink/purple flowers which are very showy in May. I would caution you about planting this tree without protection, as it is very susceptible to locust borer, even more so that honeylocust or the straight black locust species. Plan to keep the bark wrapped or treat it yearly with a systemic insecticide. It grows 20 to 30 feet tall and wide.
Yellow Flowers
The tuliptree, Liriodendron tulipifera, is the only yellow flowering tree on my May list. It is also the last tree. The tuliptree’s flowers are tulip shaped, and yellow edged with green. They can be quite showy, although they often get missed in the landscape with everything else that it blooming in May. The tree itself is a shade tree from the eastern deciduous forests, grow 60 to 100 feet tall by 60 feet wide. And it is a fairly fast growing tree too.
Conclusion
Fall is the best time to plant spring flowering trees, if you want that spring color. With all these choices, it can be difficult to choose which is best, so you need to know your landscape, soil, and site conditions. I hope you find the tree you are looking for.
Happy planting!
