The Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica, is one of the most ideal choices for a tree in a small garden, backyard or patio. It is also fairly modest in its water needs and so is particularly suitable for dry and Mediterranean gardens. It has an attractive form, delicate leaf texture and as a deciduous plant, looks good when out of leaf, not least due to its reddish pealing bark.

It is usually chosen however because of its amazing flower display in the summer months; Crape Myrtle blooms being one of the highlights of the gardening calendar. While being impressed by flower display alone is normally a bad reason for choosing a particular tree species, in the case of Lagerstroemia, by virtue of its small size and non-aggressive roots, an exception can be made. In fact the flower color is so significant that uniquely perhaps among trees, it determines the pruning method to be adopted.

Pruning to shape trees almost always involves removing whole branches at their base, rather than shortening them, as with shrubs and bushes. This is so in order to maintain the natural shape and flow of the tree. Conversely, the branches of flowering shrubs like roses are shortened, to induce better and more prolific flowering. It should be remembered that roses are not generally grown for their form and habit, but virtually exclusively for their blooms. It follows therefore, that while we may be interested in enhancing the floral effect of the Crape Myrtle by means of pruning branches short, care must be taken not to ruin the form of the tree in the process. How can this be achieved?

*Firstly, branches should not be cut back too radically. It's best to clip up to a third of the length of the branches. The clipping prevents the limb from shooting on as a long thin branch, encourages lateral growth and as mentioned before, superior blooms. On the other hand, cutting too far down on the branch, is liable to adversely affect the shape of the tree, particularly in the winter when it is bare of leaves.

*It is not necessary to prune/shorten each and every branch. As with all trees, removing excessive material at one session is liable to damage the energy level of the plant, thereby affecting its overall vitality and rendering it more susceptible to pests and disease.

*As pruning is carried out in the winter when the tree is out of leaf, it's quite easy to discern where the previous season's pruning cuts were made. It's possible therefore to alternate between cutting limbs that were untouched a year ago, while leaving alone those that were pruned. In this way, a balance is struck between flower production on the one hand and the general health of the tree on the other.

*Lagerstroemia indica tends to sprout new shoots from its base but it's not necessary to religiously remove each one. On the contrary, as the trunks are relatively thin in diameter, Crape Myrtle actually looks better grown as a multi-stemmed tree. Furthermore, as persistent pruning tends to weaken branches in the long run, younger stems can be earmarked to replace older ones which over the years have lost their vitality.

By: Jonathan Ya'akobi
I've been gardening in a professional capacity since 1984. I am the former head gardener of the Jerusalem Botanical Garden, but now concentrate on building gardens for private home owners. I also teach horticulture to students on training courses. I'd love to help you get the very best from your garden, so you're welcome to visit me on http://www.dryclimategardening.com.

Flowering apricot trees offer spectacular flowering blooms earlier than any other flowering tree, sometimes blooming as early as January. This early flowering can result in cold weather damage in some areas of the United States. New outstanding cultivars of flowering apricot trees can be purchased from mail order nursery retailers. Prunus mume flowers, in early spring with flower colors of red, pink, and white, all blooming on the same twigs of the tree. Double flowers of apricot, dark-red cover the limbs of the flowering apricot, Matsubara Red. Pure white flowers appear in early spring on the flowering apricot, Rosemary Clarke, and the pink flowering, weeping apricot, W.B. Clarke, blooms in January. Rose-red flowers appear on the flowering apricot tree, Peggy Clarke, in early spring.

Mimosa flowering trees, Albizia julibrissin 'Rosea', was introduced into the United States from the Orient, and was commonly known as the 'Silk Tree'. The feather red or pink blooms cover the mimosa branches in summer, and the fragile graceful leaves are fern-like, and they flutter in air when wafted by the slightest breeze. The Mimosa tree can be grown in almost any type of soil and is cold hardy from zones 6 – 10.

Flowering Peach trees, Prunus persica, were very commonly seen and grown in the early United States, but a gardener faces a difficult task to find a large flowering peach tree to buy at a nursery. Pink flowering peach trees, Prunus persica 'Pink', cultivars can be purchased to bloom either early or late; White flowering peach, Prunus persica 'White', can also be purchased in an early or late blooming cultivar; Prunus persica 'White Icicle', Peppermint flowering peach trees produce variegated flowers randomly colored petals of red, pink, and white. The Helen Borchers flowering cherry, Prunus persica 'Helen Borchers' is a recent outstanding blooming.

Redbud flowering trees, Cercis canadensis, are also known as the Eastern Redbud tree and were first collected to plant at the home of John Bartram, the famous early American botanist of the 1700's. In early spring the leafless twigs are completely covered with red-pink flowers, qualifying this redbud tree as a favorite, native American flowering tree to plant and grow in the garden landscape.

The flowering honeylocust tree, Gledisia triacanthus inermis, is one of the most beautiful of all early spring blooming trees. Gardeners find it difficult to locate and buy honeylocust trees from a nursery. The fragrant white flowers appear along with the airy fern-like leaves that flutter as a bright green backdrop to the glowing, pure-white flowers that attract a host of bird species to nest in the dense honeylocust branches.

The Wisteria, Wisteria sinensis, is usually thought of as being a vine, but the vine habit can be overcome, if it is staked after grafting and trained to grow as a wisteria tree. Wisteria sinensis 'Cooke's Purple', grows into a fragrant, purple stream of pea-like flowers, trailing long and followed by green, glistening leaves that are cold hardy from zone 5 – 9. A grape-like cluster of purple flowers emit a fragrance of grapes with pure white blooms in the cultivar; Wisteria tree, Wisteria sinensis 'Texas White', is an excellent white-flowering Wisteria tree.

A number of less pursued flowering trees are: Japanese Snowball Tree, Viburnum plicatum, that flowers in summer and again in the fall if abundant water is applied. The grapefruit size, greenish-white flower clusters are stunning and dramatic, as they bloom before the leaves appear. The Jerusalem tree, Parkinsomia aculeata, is also called the 'Jew Tree'; by tradition was rumored to be the tree that was used to prepare the 'crown of thorns' that was placed on the head of the crucified, Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. The fern-like leaves provide a background of green to view the golden yellow flowers that begin blooming in summer and then reappear several times until frost. Paulownia, Blue Princess or Empress Tree, produces spectacular clusters of purple-blue flowers, sometimes growing three feet in length. This fast growing tree is best known for being planted as a commercial timber tree investment by former President, Jimmy Carter. Red Tips, Photinia fraseri, is best known in the spring growing bright red tips and waxy leaves, however, red tip is very fast growing, and in late spring, following the tips of leaves reddening, giant clusters of fragrant white flowers cover the tree. Scarlet locust trees, Sesbania grandifloria, is a native tree to the United States, growing vigorously in wetlands and producing brilliant scarlet blooms in the spring. The flowers completely cover the twigs of the tree with a backdrop of bright-green, fern-like leaves, delicately fluttering in the slightest breeze. Very few trees offer recurring flowers of such brilliant colors like Scarlet locust trees, Sesbania grandiflora.

Sweetbay Magnolia, Magnolia virginiana, produces bold-white, lemon scented blooms, appearing much like a miniature Southern Magnolia flower, Magnolia grandiflora. The waxy, Sweetbay magnolia blooms appear, beginning in the fall. This evergreen magnolia tree has fragrant bark and leaves that can be substituted for the herb, bay leaves. Sweetbay magnolia trees turn dramatic colors of red, yellow, and orange during the fall, but fall intermittently followed by waxy-green new leaves. Even though the Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, is classified as an evergreen shade tree, it is famous for the gorgeous fragrant flowers of huge proportions, one foot wide, that bloom in early summer. Renowned Artists of paints and cameras have admired the glorious Magnolia blossom and chose to pose them to compose masterpiece works that would be celebrated in Museums of the World. Many hybridizers have chosen to genetically create Japanese Magnolias of many sizes and colors; white, red, pink, purple and red. Some mail order nurseries offer sites to buy outstanding hybrids like: Alexander Magnolia, Brooklyn Girls magnolia trees, Butterfly magnolia, Little Gem magnolia tree, Leonard Messel magnolia shrub, Randy Magnolia Bush, Southern Select magnolia tree, Star White magnolia, Sunsation magnolia, Wada's Memory magnolia tree, and Yellow Lantern Magnolia trees.

Gordonia flowering tree, Gordonia lasianthus, is also known as the loblolly bay tree, that is closely related to and similar to the "Lost Gordonia", that had almost become extinct, except for the fortunate rescue by famous botanist and explorer, William Bartram, who in 1773 wrote in his book, Travels, page 465, a memorable description. The flowering tree was named by him after his good friend, Benjamin Franklin, Franklinia altamaha, "I had the opportunity of observing the new flowering shrub, resembling the Gordonia, in perfect bloom, as well as bearing ripe fruit. It is a flowering tree of the first order, for beauty and fragrance of blossoms...the flowers are very large, expand themselves perfectly, and are of snow white colour, and ornamental with a crown of tassel of gold coloured refulgent staminae..." We never saw it grow in any other place, nor have I ever seen it growing wild, in all my travels from Pennsylvania...to the Mississippi." Cassia trees, are covered completely in in the fall with golden yellow flowers in late fall growing to 12 feet tall. Cassia trees are cold hardy in zones 8 – 10, and the beautiful fern-like leaves almost escape notice when the Cassia tree is in full bloom. The Chaste Tree, Vitex agnus-castus, is covered with flowers in summer and fall with fragrant flowers in colors of blue or white being available to buy. The gray-green leaves of the Chaste trees are very fragrant, and the trees are cold hardy in Zones 6 - 10.

By: Patrick Malcolm
Learn more about various plants, or purchase ones mentioned in this article by visiting the author's website: www.tytyga.com.

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Flowers are one of the most delightful creations that nature has to offer but not all flowers need to grow at ground level. In fact, the flowering crabapple tree offers a gorgeous cascade of flowers right at eye level.

Crabapple trees are very popular for being able to provide aesthetics throughout the year. They give delight in all four seasons. During springtime, the delicate colors of the buds and leaves of crabapple trees can be very pleasant. The buds can be of one color and the opened flowers can be of a different hue.

Come autumn, the fruits of the crabapple tree will surely match the life of the environment. The fall makes the colors of the fruit become even more vibrant while the snow during winter can provide the best accent to the landscape. Flowering crabapples are definitely the best pick for use in your own home, even in schools, parks and commercial areas.

The flowers of crabapple tree are to be expected in full bloom during late April up to middle of May. There are classifications of the flowers of the crabapple tree. There is the single type with only five petals in it and the semi-double has six to ten petals. The double type has more than ten petals. Double-flowered crabapple trees will be able to keep the flowers longer but the fruits are not abundant. The colors of the flowers can range from the almost pearly white, delicately fine pinks or even a deep red. Some can even grow crabapple trees with flowers having coral or salmon color.

Given all these wonderful things about a flowering crabapple tree, it is only expected that one will aim to have one in his or her own yard. Crabapple trees, like any other trees, have peculiar characteristics and needs that will require certain responsibilities from the owner. Here are some pointers to take note in growing your own flowering crabapple tree.

1. Size of the Flowering Tree

Flowering crabapples can differ from one another in their sizes.

On the average, most crabapple grows at 15 to 20 feet height while some types average eight feet. There are certain cases when they reach up to 40 feet.

Taking this consideration seriously will help you utilize well the space in your yard. At the same time, it will ensure that your crabapple gets enough space to maximize its growth.

2. Shape of the Crabapple

The crabapple tree can take on different tree shapes. The crabapple can have a weeping, horizontal, columnar, rounded, pyramidal or vase-shaped structure.

The kind will generally depend on the growth habit of the tree.

3. Type of Soil

The growth of the flowering crabapples will depend largely too on how well the owner selected the site where it will be planted.

It is best to check the nutrient and ph levels of the soil that will best suit the crabapple.

Crabapples can best grow in rich loam. A loam basically is a combination of sand, clay and salt.

This flowering tree can also grow in other soil types. Just make sure that it gets a good drainage.

Maintain good moisture in the soil but avoid getting it excessively moisturized.

Acidic soil best supports the crabapple like with a pH ranging from 5.0 to 6.5. If needed, make the proper adjustments to make the environment favorable to the tree.

4. Exposure to Sunlight

Flowering crabapples require direct exposure to sunlight throughout the day to ensure the development of the flowers, as well as the fruits. This means the trees must be planted on locations where they can access the sun for at least eight hours every day.

5. Avoiding Plant Stress

Crabapples are very sensitive to stress. Unfavorable environmental factors can affect the development of these trees.

The stress can result to a very unhealthy disposition of the plants like poor color of the leaf or scorches.

Some of the factors that can stress the crabapple include insects or pests, lack or excess in water supply, insufficient sun exposure or even kids who may damage the tree.

Conclusion

Flowering crabapple trees are delightful addition to your garden. Make sure that you plant and tend it well to ensure the beauty of this creation in your landscape.

By: Lee Dobbins
Lee Dobbins writes for http://floweringtrees.garden-g8way.com where you can learn more about flowering trees like the flowering crabapple tree.

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The flowering cherry tree is a very popular landscape tree. When they are in full bloom, they will surely provide the best aesthetics in any garden.

They can make any yard bloom with the wonderful colors of spring. Cherry trees can have red, black or gray bars.

This can go well with the flowers in white and various shades of pink. The Flowering Almond cherry tree can even have mixed colors on its own.

Cherry Trees

This is classified in the family of Rosaceae, in genus Prunus. The subgenus Cerasus has a distinguishing characteristic with its flowers clumped together.

The word cherry traces its roots from the Latin terms cerasum and Cerasus. This is the old name of the city of Giresun in Turkey.

Aside from the fruit, cherries are also popular for their flowering trees. Flowering cherry trees are small but hardy trees. They are very popular to people who love flowers.

They are even more popular because they signify the onset of the spring season. Before the leaves are able to bloom, these cherry trees will be able to produce considerable amount of flowers in white or pink. These events mark that spring is about to come.

These flowers are very attractive. In most Asian countries, flowering cherry trees are planted for main or actually the sole purpose of display. There are even cultivators in Japan who would have the cherries sterile to not bear fruit.

Aside from the aesthetic value of the cherry trees, they also have health benefits. The cherries contain anthocyanins that can help in the reduction of pain and inflammation.

There is also a high amount of melatonin in cherries that make cherries good anti-oxidant.

Species of Cherry Trees

Considering that flowering cherry trees seem to be a wonderful addition to the garden then it will be very helpful to know the various species of cherry trees that will suit your needs.

There are the more popular types like the Flowering Almond and Flowering Apricot. These types of cherry trees will be able to produce plenty of flowers.

Chanticleer, Cleveland Select Flowering Pears and Bradford are your choice of cherry trees if you are aiming for a good landscape in your garden or yard.

The Thundercloud Flowering Plum is a perfect choice for those who want to plant cherry trees but do not have the luxury of choice when it comes to land area. You can enjoy the pink flowers during spring in your patio.

Some cherry trees can also be planted for their edible characteristic like the Black Cherry. The white flowers of this cherry tree turn to red tart and they grow fast.

How to Grow Flowering Cherry Trees

Growing a cherry tree will entail certain considerations. Some of these will require responsibilities on the part of the owner. Here are some ideas to keep in mind.

1. To plant a flowering cherry tree in your garden, it is necessary to keep each young seedling at least 10 feet apart from each other. Thus, this also means that your yard must be large enough to give way for the growth of the cherry trees.

2. Generally, cherry trees are found in areas with good moisture. They can also grow in the drier areas, but they have to get as much water as needed to proliferate.

3. Make sure that good soil is provided. It is best to grow the flowering cherry trees in fertile soil that is well-drained but retaining sufficient moisture.

Generally, ordinary soils are fine, but providing lots of water and adding fertilizer will help advance the growth of the cherry trees.

Some soils may be rocky or sandy. If this cannot be helped, make sure that there are enough compost materials to supplement the soil nutrients needed.

4. The cherry tree needs a good balance of exposure to the sunlight and enough shade to maintain a degree of moisture.

5. Cherry tree seedlings are small but they grow fast relatively. In a year or two, these seedlings are sure to bloom.

Conclusion

Growing a flowering cherry tree will surely bring out the best in your yard. It can give the best factor that you are looking for. Furthermore, you get to enjoy a more beautiful spring with the flowering cherry tree in your garden.

By: Lee Dobbins
Lee Dobbins writes for http://floweringtrees.garden-g8way.com where you can learn more about flowering trees like the flowering cherry tree.

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