Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Trees 10 Flowering Trees and Shrubs that Will Make a Statement This Spring Add spectacular color to your landscape when spring arrives with these flowering trees and shrubs. Your neighbors will thank you! 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 and Gardens, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and several other publications. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on April 3, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Denny Schrock As winter fades, these flowering trees and shrubs light up the spring landscape more than any other plants. Many of these woody specimens burst into bloom before leaves start to grow, offering some of the first color of the season. Add a profusion of stunning color 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 native to North America. Its tiny but numerous rosy pink flowers line the branches before the heart-shaped 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 02 of 10 Southern Magnolia Mary Carolyn Pindar Beloved 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 10 Best White Flowering Trees to Brighten Up Your Landscape 03 of 10 Flowering Dogwood Allen Rokach One of the best flowering trees for spring color, 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, when 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 are flowering trees that share many 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. Name: Rhododendron Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade and well-drained acidic soil Size: To 6 feet tall Zones: 4-8 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 3 Tips for Landscaping Around Trees to Dress Up Your Yard 07 of 10 Lilac Jacob Fox One of the most popular spring-flowering trees or 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 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 09 of 10 Flowering Cherries Denny Schrock The white or pink blossoms of flowering cherry trees are so showy they can draw crowds as they do in Washington, D.C. every spring. In fall, these small to mid-size trees have festively colored leaves in amber, orange, and red shades. Name: Prunus Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 30 feet tall Zones: 5-9 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 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 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit