Ahhhh, spring. Green, yellow, magenta, and purple are beginning to replace the drab grey and brown hues of winter. Looking out my office window, I can’t help but feel like I’m being rewarded for making it through the winter…as if Mother Nature is saying “Congratulations! You’ve earned this.”
Each day presents more vivid brilliance than the day before, thanks to the trees that we chose for our landscape! If you’re considering planting an ornamental tree that will burst with color every spring, but not quite sure what performs best in your region, we have some suggestions. Here are some of our top picks for amazing, colorful trees:
Brightest Colored Trees for Northern Regions:
Eastern Redbud – Zones 4-9 This bright beauty is considered the harbinger of spring. It’s one of the first to announce 📷spring’s arrival, and it does so in a truly dramatic fashion.
Reaching 20-30 feet tall, the Eastern Redbud has an elegant irregular branching pattern, as its trunk often divides close to the ground. The slender branches arch outward, giving the tree a dense rounded shape. In early spring, petite, rosy-pink blossoms appear in clusters covering the branches, and sometimes emerge along the trunk! Then, bright magenta-pink flowers surge, blending with the tree’s heart-shaped leaves.
This easy to grow tree is more tolerant of cold than most, and its blooms hang on when winds get rough. Every year, Spring will roar in with bold, cheerful color that lights up your yard.
Kwanzan Cherry – Zones 5-9 The display of color from this tree is breathtaking, giving one of the most spectacular shows as it flourishes each spring. The strong branches overflow with bright pink, massive flowers in March and April, creating a cloud-like profusion in bloom.
📷Because the tree often grows quite low to the ground, the branches provide admirers a close-up view of its brilliant blooms. Shaped similarly to a rose, they are fully double, and are some of the largest seen on any flowering tree. The display of color is dazzling, even when the blooms begin to drop – as the petals release in blizzard-like swirls of glowing pink color.
A star of the ‘National Cherry Blossom Festival’ in Washington, D.C., it’s easy to see why millions are drawn to witness city streets lined with this tree in full bloom.
A single ornamental is just as impressive. The Kwanzan Cherry will provide an astonishing show year after year when you make it the centerpiece of your landscape. It is one of the hardiest, easiest trees to grow, and certainly one of the loveliest trees to behold every spring – year after year!
Brightest Colored Trees for Southern Regions:
Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ Tree – Zones 4-9 Contrasting the bleak backdrop of a winter landscape, the Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ Tree ignites with color as 📷early as February, boldly signaling the first sign of spring. It’s one of the first trees to flower, showcasing bright canary-yellow blossoms that continue to thrive through April.
This magnolia grows from 15-25 feet, and its shape is elegant. The branches are long, slender, and upright, offering a stunning framework for the colorful blooms. The flowers appear on bare branches before the leaves, and seem to perch like yellow butterflies throughout the tree.
The petals are satiny, and grow vertically with a tulip-like form. The rare yellow color of this magnolia’s blooms isn’t the only thing to allure admirers; they fill the air with a sweet, delicate scent.
Low-maintenance, tolerant of cold snaps, drought, and even the strong heat of summer, this easy-going beauty is something to behold! When we ship it to you, it’ll be ready to illuminate your yard the very first season.
Jacaranda Tree – Zones 9-11 Few trees rival the striking color of the tropical Jacaranda Tree each spring. 📷This tree’s display of bright lavender color, combined with its impressive size – is awe-inspiring. It can grow over 40 feet high, and up to 30 feet wide, creating twilight colored shade beneath a majestic purple canopy!
The Jacaranda’s flowers are tubular, long and trumpet-like. They’ll appear upon bare branches before the soft feathery foliage arrives. The blooms are packed into frilled purple clusters, and will cover the tree over 2 months, from spring into summer!
When the blossoms begin to drop, they create a carpet of purple upon the lawn, as if to spread a lavender reflection of the blooms above.
This sun-loving tree is fast growing and strong. It is drought tolerant and handles a variety of soil types. Though it can only be planted in landscapes across the southern-most parts of the United States, anyone can admire its heavenly display as a patio plant. It is coveted by bonsai enthusiasts, and you’re sure to adore it too.
Brightest Colored Trees for Western Regions:
Cherokee Brave Dogwood – Zones 5-9 Among dogwood trees, this classic beauty gets first prize when it comes to its incredible color. Each spring, this strong tree is covered in bright crimson blooms. The appearance is so stunning, it is 📷often considered the most beautiful of all the flowering trees native to America.
It is compact, growing 20-30 feet, and its sturdy horizontal branches create multi-layered tiers for a remarkable spring display. The flowers, emerging weeks before the leaves, are surrounded by four petal-like bracts that lay flat and clover like. Their color is unmatched; rich burgundy tips blend to bright white centers. They glow with a rich red maroon hue in bright daylight, making it a head-turner for passers-by. Even its foliage provides color, as leaves emerge with red tips deepening to green.
This dogwood is more tolerant of cold than others, and bravely stands through snow, ice and sudden changes in weather. It is easy to grow, and maintain, extending a splendid welcome to spring each and every year.
Prairifire Crabapple – Zones 4-8 Often considered the ‘’jewel of the landscape,” the Prairifire Crabapple can appear to literally glow in the springtime! It has incredibly vivid ruby-colored blooms. 📷Its growth is compact and upright. You can expect it to reach 20 feet tall.
Each spring, its branches fill with blooms of deep magenta and purple flowers. It will continue to blossom into summer, making this tree one of the most prolific in flower production.
The fiery bright flowers of spring aren’t the only color this ornamental offers. Its leaves are red in the spring and purple-veined. As weather warms up, they’ll convert into a rich deep green color. Each season, a colorful surprise is in store from this tree, from its bright red berry-like fruit in the summer, to its gorgeous foliage in fall, then to its orange tinted bark in winter. This tree is a top contender in color, with an ongoing show lasting far after spring.
If you're looking for more info, another great resource on trees:
Enjoy Spring’s Beauty – Order Now! Are you ready to enhance your surroundings with the most gorgeous colors that nature offers? We have hundreds of trees that come alive in spring with brilliant hues that you’ll enjoy for generations.