Flowering Trees
Best Ornamental Flowering Trees
Spring is ripe for planting trees. The soil is workable, rain provides the watering, and there's time for roots to begin establishing before the heat arrives. When planting a tree there are a few things to consider, including: mature size, water needs, sun exposure, and shape.
Read on for a few of our spring-blooming favorites that do well in our area.
Live outside of our area? Please check with your local cooperative extension for the best growing practices in your neck of the woods:
UC Cooperative Extension Offices
National County Extension Offices
Read on for a few of our spring-blooming favorites that do well in our area.
Live outside of our area? Please check with your local cooperative extension for the best growing practices in your neck of the woods:
UC Cooperative Extension Offices
National County Extension Offices
Flowering Plum 'Purple Pony'
- Deciduous semi-dwarf tree with an upright habit
- Single, pale-pink flowers in spring followed by deep-purple foliage
- Use as specimen, group planting
- Grows to 10'-12' tall by 12' wide
- Full sun and regular water
Magnolia 'Genie'
- Deciduous tree with a compact habit
- Oval, medium-green foliage
- Fragrant, black-purple buds open to cup-shaped, dark maroon flowers in spring
- Use as specimen, container plant, or in borders
- Grows to 10'-13' tall by 5'-6' wide
- Full sun and moderate water
- Attracts butterflies and birds
Weeping Cherry 'Snow Fountains'
- Deciduous tree with a weeping habit
- Pendulous branches are covered by white flowers in early spring
- Smooth, mahogany-red bark
- Use as specimen, accent, or container plant
- Grows to 12'-15' tall by 10'-15' wide
- Full sun and moderate water
- Attracts birds
Pink Flowering Dogwood
- Deciduous tree with a pyramidal, flat-topped habit
- Dark green, oval leaves turn red in fall
- Small flowers surrounded by pink flower bracts on bare branches in spring
- Use as specimen, understory tree, edging, or in small groupings
- Grows to 15'-30' tall by 15'-30' wide
- Partial sun and moderate water
- Attracts butterflies and birds
Crape Myrtle 'Dynamite'
- Deciduous tree with an upright, globose habit
- Deep red flower clusters in summer
- Dark green foliage turns red-orange in fall with pretty, two-tone colored bark
- Use as specimen
- Grows to 15'-20' tall by 10'-15' wide
- Available in many different varieties and flower colors
- Full sun and waterwise; perfect for our area
Oklahoma Redbud
- Deciduous tree with an upright, rounded habit
- Deep red-purple flowers emerge before glossy, thick, blue-green, heart-shaped leaves
- Use as specimen, firescaping, mass planting
- Grows to 15'-25' tall by 15'-25' wide
- Full sun, waterwise and native to USA
- Attracts butterflies and birds
Flowering Crabapple 'Prairifire'
- Deciduous tree with an upright, rounded habit
- Red buds open to fragrant, deep pink-red flowers in spring
- Leaves emerge maroon-red, maturing to dark green
- Use as specimen, accent, group planting
- Grows to 20' tall x 20' wide
- Full sun and moderate water
- Deer resistant; attracts butterflies and birds
Magnolia 'Little Gem' Low Branch
- Evergreen tree with a narrow, pyramidal habit
- Medium-sized, fragrant, white flowers in spring
- Glossy, dark green, leathery leaves with amber coloring underneath
- Use as specimen, screen, espalier, in containers
- Grows to 20'-25' tall by 10'-15' wide
- Full sun and moderate water
- Deer resistant
