In the sea of green that characterizes most gardens, trees with red flowers add a touch of beauty and interest to the landscape. Trees or shrubs with red foliage or small blooms of pink or red add even more interest and excitement to a well thought out and designed landscaping theme. The leaves of many trees and some shrubs stay green during the late spring, summer, and early fall, only to turn red after the first frost. When choosing colorful trees and shrubs, match your choices carefully with the planting site.
Trees are a perfect addition to most home landscape themes. As trees mature, they provide shade. Trees also have a positive effect on the value of your property, and they might even have a positive impact on your mood. Choosing the right tree can be tricky, perhaps the best place to start is with color. A comprehensive color scheme throughout the garden pulls it all together. When your landscaping plans include trees, consider those that are colorful. Flowering trees provide considerable interest, interest that other shade trees cannot.
Regardless of the color of the foliage, trees must first and foremost fit into your landscape plan. Once a decision has been made where flowering trees can be used effectively, then, and only then, is it time to choose the kind of tree. If the initial landscaping plan does not agree with the initial selection, change the layout, or select the appropriate tree. Trees are a long-term commitment, do not place one simply because there is a spot available.
An average residential property usually can comfortably accommodate two or three trees at most. Rows of trees or formal landscape designs employing many trees fit far better on commercial properties or large estates.
Three important factors to consider when choosing flowering trees are:
* Species and variety
* Environmental Factor
* Flowering trees
Species and Variety
When first choosing a flowering tree, consider three factors.
* Size and form of the mature tree
* Blooming season, the color of the flower, and duration of flowering
* Pruning, fertilizing, protection from insect and disease
When choosing a flowering tree, place a high value on a species that produces brightly colored, showy flowers. There are tree species that do not meet these criteria, but they compensate for the lack of visual interest with fruit, colorful pods, as well as autumn foliage.
All trees, to one degree or another, produce flowers. Whether these flowers are appealing or not depends upon the color or how spectacular they might be.
The location of the tree and its fruiting characteristics must be considered together. It is worth taking into account the position of fruiting trees. There will be periods of inconvenience when fruit free falls into the garden, but this is a small price to pay for the visual enjoyment the tree provides.
Environmental Factors
The environment in which the tree grows has a great deal to do with its health and beauty. The tree must be planted in good soil, it must get adequate light and water, and it must complement its surroundings. Trees with red flowers should be chosen based on their expected behavior under the specifics of the growing conditions.
Few trees, flowering or otherwise, can tolerate heavy wet soil or soil that tends to remain dry, such as sand or gravel. All trees flourish when planted in deep topsoil that is well-drained. If the soil in the position you have chosen for the tree is inhospitable, it can be improved through the addition of good soil in raised beds.
Flowering trees are influenced by the duration of, and the intensity of sunlight. In general, flowering trees thrive in full sunlight. Flowering trees should be planted away from shadows cast by large buildings or other trees that shade them during the day.
Flowering Trees
Dogwoods:
Several types of dogwood have red leaves and either red or pink flowers. The dogwood sold under the name “Pink Flame” eventually tops out at about 25 feet in height. The tree flowers in spring with a mass of reddish-pink aromatic flowers, which are closely followed by red berries. Another dogwood species, “Welchii,” is known for its tri-color leaves of red, green, and white, all of which turn red in the fall. This tree tops out at about 20 feet in height. These particular varieties of dogwood prefer partial shade and moist, acidic soil.
Plum:
If your landscaping plan calls for a tree with deep color, consider a cherry plum. This particular tree, which grows to about 25 feet in height, loves the sun. During the summer, the foliage is red. The color changes to copper after the first frost. In the spring, a plum tree blooms with pink flowers. Two species in particular, “Newport and Mt. St. Helens,” have purple-red leaves and bloom with fragrant dark pink flowers. The species “Blireiana” has red-colored new growth. As the new growth matures, the red color changes to bronze or green. In the fall, the color returns to red.
Red Horsechestnut:
The red horse-chestnut tree is a hybrid between a conventional horse-chestnut and the much smaller red flowering buckeye. This tree grows to about 35 feet, somewhat smaller than the parent horse-chestnut. The most common species is “Briotil,” which produces panicles about 10 inches long of red flowers during May. The red flowers with yellow throat are quite dramatic when set against their large, glossy leaves. As this hybrid is susceptible to leaf fungus, it should be planted in an area that receives full sun and good air circulation.
Although technically a shrub and not a tree, the summer wine ninebark has reddish-pink and white flowers that appear in late spring and into the early summer. Another shrub, the “Wine and Roses,” weigela has rose color blooms and burgundy foliage. Weigela grows best in sunny or very lightly shaded sites and requires well-drained soil. Another popular shrub is the ornamental peach, a small tree that blooms with red flowers in the spring.
