Best Rosaceae Flowering Trees That Blooming in Spring
Known as Rosaceae, includes thousands of species that can add a distinct flair to your garden. Many of these plants grow as trees that offer spectacular blooms during the spring. There are some of the best early spring flowering tree species in this group.
Callery pear is a species of pear tree native to China and Vietnam. Although the small fruit is unfit for human consumption (but loved by birds), Callery pear is planted as an ornamental tree for its spring blooms and showy autumn colors. The fast-growing cultivar ‘Bradford’ is especially popular in the United States, to the point of becoming an invasive species.
Hall crabapple (Malus halliana) is a native ornamental tree in China that is often grown for beautification purposes. The fragrant blooming flowers of Hall crabapple have the distinctive smell of sweet musk. In China, this tree is often called chui si hai tang.
Asiatic apple (Malus spectabilis) is a species of crabapple tree that is cold hardy and tolerant of many growth conditions. It blooms from April to May and its fruit ripens from August to September. The small apple-like fruit has a sweet and sour flavor. This tree has been a favorite in China for many centuries. This species grows best in full sunlight and moist, well-drained soil.
Black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a medium-sized, deciduous forest tree native to the Americas, but also naturalized in parts of Europe. It features inflorescence with small white blooms that become clusters of dark cherries, edible when pitted. Mature trees have gray-to-black, distinctly crackled bark. The glossy leaves are poisonous to livestock. It is a highly reproductive pioneer species with invasive potential.
A large ornamental shrub, the Flowering almond or Prunus triloba, bears prolific pale pink blossoms in the spring. This shrub responds well to pruning, which will help it retain its compact size. Its red fruits are attractive to a variety of wildlife.
The blooms of Japanese apricot are the sign of an upcoming spring in China. They bloom in late winter on bare branches, often appearing under a blanket of snow. The tree has an important cultural significance in East Asia, while its sweet, edible fruit has various culinary uses. Many varieties of Prunus mume are cultivated worldwide as ornamental trees.
The Yoshino cherry is native to Japan and produces small black fruits and characteristic white-pink blooms in the spring that give off a peculiar faint almond fragrance. A batch of these trees were famously gifted to the United States by the government in Tokyo and now stand in Washington D.C.
Bird cherry (Prunus padus) is a small deciduous cherry tree in the subgenus Padus. This species is native to Europe, where it is also known as the Mayday tree because of its historical importance in spring (May Day) festivals. The Bird cherry is pollinated by bees and flies. The leaves, stems, and fruits of this species can be toxic to some mammals. In the past, the bark of this tree was traditionally placed near doorways as a spiritual gesture to ward off the plague.
Peach is native to Northwest China. China, Spain, and Italy are the top three producers of peaches world-wide. The peach is also the state fruit of Georgia. Peach production in the US in 2017 was valued at $599 million. The fruit has a yellow or white flesh, a sweet aroma, and a skin that is either velvety (peaches) or smooth (nectarines).
Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is a flowering tree that is actually part of the rose family. It is not unusual in garden settings and arranged as hedges. Examples of famous Common hawthorn trees include the apocryphal oldest tree in France, and a well-known hawthorn in England that stood out for flowering three times a year.
Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) is a deciduous small tree or a shrub native to Southern Europe and Western Asia. It is one of the most common wild fruits of its native region, producing numerous, rounded, yellow, red, or burgundy-colored, sweet, juicy fruit in summer and autumn. Cherry plum is also used as an ornamental tree, and as rootstock for other Prunus species.