Spring-Flowering Trees To Watch For In Portland

Springtime is here and we are all anxiously waiting for the trees, shrubs and flowers to bloom. You’ve probably already noticed the cherry trees blossoming along with the camellias and daffodils. Wherever you spot them, trees that flower in the Spring are always a welcome sign of changing seasons and warmer temperatures to come (unless, of course, you’re an allergy sufferer). Here are four flowering trees to watch for around town between March and May.

Ornamental Cherry

The delicate pink and white blossoms of ornamental cherry trees are among the very first to sprout in March The varieties that flower early on in the season include the Yoshino, which bares pretty pale pink blooms that fade to white in April. The Yoshino variety is famous for sparking a relationship between the U.S. and Japanese governments in 1912, and subsequently draws thousands of people to Washington D.C. every year for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. While Yoshino is easily the most popular, there are more than 100 varieties of ornamental cherry trees and most of them do very well in the Pacific Northwest. Portland’s Waterfront Park is lined with Akebono Cherry trees, which have puffs of brighter pink blossoms that also bloom in March. Other varieties bloom well into May and June.

Portland’s 4th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival is Sunday, March 30th from 12-3pm at Waterfront Park.

Dogwood

A dogwood tree variety that you’ll see blooming from April through May is the Pink Dogwood. At maturity, these trees can grow to a height and width of 25 feet. They have deep green, oval leaves, and clusters of tiny flowers surrounded by four pink “bracts”, or leaf-like petals. This lovely dogwood variety is a favorite for residential landscaping, especially because the flowers eventually morph into red berries that attract local songbirds.

White Dogwood is also popular and widely sold in local nurseries. This variety has six large white bracts that surround a cluster of tiny greenish-yellow flowers, making a showy display from March to May. The fruits of the White Dogwood also attract wildlife, and in Autumn, its leaves turn reddish-purple.

Magnolia

Magnolias as a species are very hardy, dating back nearly 100 million years. The Saucer Magnolia in particular is a major favorite among local plant lovers because of their big, showy flowers in various shades of purple, pink, and white. This small evergreen’s tough, glossy green leaves don’t sprout until after the flowers, putting its colors on dramatic display in early Spring. This variety gets its name from the “cup and saucer” shape of its flowers in full bloom, which can grow up to 10cm in diameter and have a refreshing citrus fragrance.

Sunburst Honeylocust

The striking yellow foliage of the aptly named Sunburst Honeylocust is an eye catching sign on Springtime. The flowers bloom in late March and turn green as the Summer progresses before turning gold again in the Fall. With light and airy, fern-like leaves, remarkable tolerance of harsh weather, and lack of mess (no pods or thorns), this tree is perfectly suited for Northwest landscapes.  Sunburst Honeylocust grow quickly and mature around 30-40 feet.

We hope you enjoy this refreshing, colorful Spring season!

Need help with Springtime tree care? Call your Certified Arborists for a free estimate!