Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Trees 10 Spectacular Spring-Blooming Trees and Shrubs That Always Make a Statement By Sheryl Geerts Sheryl Geerts Website Sheryl Geerts is an editor and author who has nearly three decades of writing and editing experience. She enjoys writing about garden, food, and home topics. Her bylines have appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and several other national publications. Sheryl earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in advertising/public relations and journalism, as well as a minor in business administration from St. Ambrose University. She then also earned a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with an emphasis in integrated marketing communications from Drake University. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on September 10, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Photo: Denny Schrock As winter fades, these spring-flowering trees and shrubs seem to light up the landscape more than any other plant. Many of these woody plants burst into bloom before leaves start to grow, offering some of the first color of the season. Add a profusion of stunning spring blooms to your yard with these outstanding selections. 01 of 10 Eastern Redbud Denny Schrock One of the earliest flowering trees to bloom in the spring, Eastern redbud is an easy-to-grow, small tree that is native to North America. Its tiny but numerous rosy pink flowers line the branches before the heart-shape leaves appear. It also has pretty yellow fall foliage. Name: Cercis canadensis Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 30 feet tall Zones: 4-9 Buy It: Eastern Redbud Tree with Pink Blossoms ($34, The Home Depot) 02 of 10 Southern Magnolia Mary Carolyn Pindar Popular for its huge, creamy white fragrant spring flowers, Southern magnolia does everything in a big way. It has large, shiny, evergreen leaves, and can grow very tall. It bears cone-like fruit in the fall. 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 Buy It: Little Gem Southern Magnolia Tree ($55, The Home Depot) 03 of 10 Flowering Dogwood Allen Rokach One of the best trees for spring color, flowering dogwood has striking, horizontal branches that give this plant a graceful appearance year-round. Its eye-catching early-spring blooms can be white or pink. Its leaves turn reddish-purple in the fall, and it 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 04 of 10 Forsythia Bill Stites 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, and some varieties such as 'Lynwood Gold' have purple fall foliage. Name: Forsythia Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall Zones: 5-8 05 of 10 Rhododendron and Azalea Greg Ryan Although rhododendrons and azaleas share many characteristics, one difference between them is the shape of their flowers: Azaleas have funnel-shape blossoms, while rhododendrons have trumpet-shape 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. Name: Rhododendron Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade and well-drained acidic soil Size: To 6 feet tall Zones: 4-8 Buy It: PJM Compact Rhododendron Shrub ($34, The Home Depot) 06 of 10 Flowering Crabapple Denny Schrock Flowering crabapples are small to mid-size trees that can grow in low mounds, or have upright, narrow, or weeping shapes. In spring, they're covered with fragrant white, pink, or red flowers, and produce tiny yellow, orange, or red fruit in fall. Look for newer varieties 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 Buy It: Prairie Fire Flowering Crabapple Tree ($35, The Home Depot) 07 of 10 Lilac Jacob Fox One of the most popular spring-flowering shrubs, lilac is 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 butterflies and hummingbirds in late spring. Name: Syringa vulgaris Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 12 feet tall Zones: 3-7 Buy It: Bloomerang Dark Purple Reblooming Lilac ($16, The Home Depot) 08 of 10 Viburnum Doug Hetherington A wide selection of viburnum varieties offers clusters of white or delicate pink flowers throughout spring and into summer. Certain types such as Koreanspice viburnum (V. carlesii) offer fragrant flowers and most 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 Buy It: Summer Snowflake Viburnum Shrub ($32, The Home Depot) 09 of 10 Flowering Cherries Denny Schrock The white or pink blossoms of flowering cherry trees are so showy, they can draw crowds like they do in Washington, D.C. every spring. In fall, these small to mid-size trees have festively colored leaves in shades 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 Buy It: Amanogawa Flowering Cherry Tree ($36, The Home Depot) 10 of 10 Dwarf Fothergilla Jerry Pavia 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 little pruning. Name: Fothergilla gardenii Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall Zones: 5-8 Buy It: Legend of the Small Bottlebrush ($18, The Home Depot) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit