How to grow stunning blossom trees

Providing a breathtaking display on a larger scale than bedding plants, there is a tree for every space, from big backyards to balconies.

For masses of blooms year after year, plant a tree to suit your climate zone, with flowers in a colour you love.

The size on the label is an estimate at maturity, or 20 years old, for a plant grown in ideal conditions, so be aware it may be smaller at your place.

When you shop for blossom trees in late winter, you’ll find leafless plants that look like sticks in plastic bags.

But don’t let this put you off, says Wes Fleming, the tree guru from Fleming’s Nurseries, as bagged is one of the best ways to buy them.

‘We field-grow our trees under ideal conditions,’ says Wes. ‘When they drop their leaves and sap movement slows almost to a stop, we lift them from the ground, wash and trim their roots, then bag them in a quality growing mix.’

‘Bagged plants are lighter and easier to transport and care for, so you’ll find that premium plants are much cheaper in bags than pots later in the year.

‘They are very quick to establish, performing brilliantly from their first spring in the ground and for many years to come.’

To get fruit as well as flowers, opt for a cultivar of a traditional blossom tree that maintains a compact, even dwarf, form so that you can grow peaches, nectarines, pears, apples or cherries on a sunny balcony or in a courtyard.

Peach

Growing to 1.5m tall by 1.5m wide, the spring-flowering dwarf Trixzie ‘Pixzee’ Peach is mouth-watering when dripping with fruit in summer.

Fruiting apples put on a gorgeous display of flowers in spring and make excellent espaliers.

Train them to grow over walls or fences.

The miniature fruiting Trixzie Pear grows to 1.5m tall by 1.5m wide, and looks divine in spring when covered in delicate white flowers.

Spring blossom trees are deciduous, losing their leaves in late autumn and remaining bare across winter.

This reduces their usefulness for screening, but the summer shade and winter sun allows for underplanting with spring bulbs.

And as they flower on bare wood before the leaves appear, the impact of their blooming is amplified.

Evergreens shed foliage all year, but deciduous trees do it in one big drop, meaning less mess and one big leaf pile to compost or mulch.

These trees (Cornuscultivars) look amazing mass-planted in a big garden.

The petals of the large blossoms are actually modified leaves, called bracts, that surround the tiny flowerheads.

FLOWERS Clear white to magenta-red.

FOLIAGE In cooler areas, many put on colourful foliage displays in autumn.

SIZE Less than 6m tall by 5m wide.

FORM Become domed with age.

Known as ‘the landscaper’s mate’, ornamental pears (Pyruscultivars) are hardy, adaptable and grow reasonably fast.

Use the tall and narrow forms for boundary planting, or flank a path or driveway with a matched pair.

FLOWERS Snowy-white blossoms.

FOLIAGE Boldly coloured in autumn, showing fiery reds and oranges.

SIZE Most are about 7m tall by 4m wide, but some can reach 12 by 9m.

FORM Columnar to pyramidal.

Ideal for small spaces, crabapples (Malusspecies and cultivars) provide spring flowers, summer shade, winter sun and ornamental autumn fruit.

FLOWERS Open pink and turn white.

FOLIAGE Changes to tones of yellow and red before falling in autumn.

FORM Differs with variety for this small to medium deciduous tree.

SIZE Depending on variety, 6m tall by 5m wide, but most are smaller.

Cherries, plums and peaches (Prunuscultivars) are among the finest spring-flowering trees.

They are so spectacular that, in Japan, entire festivals are devoted just to their blooming period.

With a diversity of forms and sizes, there is a variety for just about any garden need, and the stems make beautiful floral displays.

FLOWERS White, pink and red shades.

FOLIAGE Colourful in autumn in the cooler regions.

SIZE Grow up to 5m tall by 5m wide, but most are smaller.

FORM Columnar and vase-like to spreading and weeping standards.