As winter's chill recedes and allows plant life to flourish again, certain flowering trees and shrubs lend more breathtaking beauty to the spring landscape than any other plants. Many of these woody specimens burst into bloom before leaves start to grow, delighting observers with the first colorful hues of the season. To create a charming landscape in your own yard, consider planting a variety of these stunning flowering selections.
Eastern Redbud
One of the earliest flowering trees to bloom in the spring, the Eastern redbud is an easy-to-grow, small tree native to North America. Its tiny but numerous rosy pink flowers line the branches before heart-shaped leaves appear. While the flowering tree is breathtaking during spring, the Eastern redbud undergoes another magnificent transformation during fall when its leaves transform from verdant green to vibrant yellow.
Name: Cercis canadensis
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 30 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Southern Magnolia
Beloved for its huge, fragrant, creamy white flowers, the Southern magnolia does everything in a big way. In addition to its massive spring blooms, magnolias have large, shiny, evergreen leaves and can grow very tall. The magnificent flowering tree also bears cone-like fruit in the fall. For those looking for a smaller-scale flowering tree, don't count out the magnolia—dwarf varieties are available and can even be grown in containers.
Name: Magnolia grandiflora
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 80 feet tall
Zones: 7-9
Flowering Dogwood
One of the best flowering trees for spring color, the dogwood is characterized by its striking horizontal branches that give a graceful appearance year-round. Its eye-catching early-spring blooms can be a snowy white or soft pink. Like the Eastern redbud, dogwood trees transform beautifully during autumn. Its leaves turn reddish-purple in the fall, when it also produces small, glossy red fruits.
Name: Cornus florida
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 30 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Forsythia
You'll know that spring is just around the corner when you see the bright yellow flowers of forsythia. Its blooms emerge before the plant leafs out, making this beautiful shrub appear to glow in the spring sunshine. Plant forsythia as an informal hedge or in a border; either way, its foliage will maintain its fresh green color until late fall. Some varieties, such as 'Lynwood Gold,' are even more unique, developing purple foliage as summer fades to fall.
Name: Forsythia
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 10 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
Rhododendron and Azalea
Although rhododendrons and azaleas are flowering shrubs of the same genus with many shared characteristics, one difference is the shape of their blooms. Azaleas have funnel-shaped blossoms, while rhododendrons have trumpet-shaped flowers. Azaleas also have small leaves and profuse flowers scattered over the entire shrub. The leaves of rhododendrons are leathery, and the flowers are in large clusters at the ends of the stems.
Don't forget to deadhead each cluster of flowers after the blooms fade. Use clean pruners or pinch off the flowers with your fingers. Deadheading not only keeps the shrub looking good, it may encourage additional blooms.
Name: Rhododendron
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade and well-drained acidic soil
Size: To 6 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Flowering Crabapple
Flowering crabapples are small to midsize trees that can grow in low mounds or upright, narrow, or weeping shapes. In spring, they're covered with fragrant white, pink, or red flowers. Come fall, flowering crabapples produce tiny yellow, orange, or red fruit.
Look for newer varieties of flowering crabapples that are disease-resistant and hold their fruit into the winter.
Name: Malus
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 30 feet tall
Zones: 4-8
Lilac
One of the most popular spring-flowering trees and shrubs is lilac—a true showstopper. Hundreds of lilac varieties are available, offering large clusters of purple, magenta, pink, blue, white, or yellow flowers. The fantastically fragrant blooms attract hummingbirds and butterflies in late spring, making your landscaping a whimsical sight to behold.
Name: Syringa vulgaris
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 12 feet tall
Zones: 3-7
Viburnum
A wide selection of viburnum varieties offer delicate clusters of white or pink flowers throughout spring and into summer. While most types of viburnum have green foliage, some boast white or yellow variegation or veining. Certain types, such as Korean spice viburnum (V. carlesii), offer fragrant flowers, and most varieties also boast fall color.
Name: Viburnum
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 16 feet tall
Zones: 2-8
Flowering Cherries
The white or pink blossoms of flowering cherry trees are so mesmerizing, they have the power to draw enraptured crowds to destinations like Washington, D.C. every spring. With confetti-like blossoms and a mildly fragrant scent, flowering cherries are a delight for the senses during spring. In fall, these small to midsize trees have festively colored leaves in jewel-toned hues of amber, orange, and red.
Name: Prunus
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 30 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Fothergilla
A compact native shrub, fothergilla can be tucked into a perennial border or a narrow foundation planting. It's prized for its bottlebrush-like spikes of fragrant white spring flowers and brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red fall foliage. You can even use it in a hedge with a bit of pruning.
Name: Fothergilla gardenii
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
