6 Ornamental Trees You’re Going to Love for Your Garden
These trees are stunning additions to any garden

By Arricca Sansone for Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrubs

Your yard overflows with colorful annuals, perennials and shrubs, but you may be missing something. Adding a small tree to your landscape makes your garden uniquely yours. “An ornamental tree defines a space and serves as an accent,” says Maria Zampini, tree program manager for Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Trees. “In addition to their beauty, they fulfill many other purposes, including providing seasonal blooms, shade, and support for wildlife.”

Many new tree cultivars also are more compact, so they fit in spaces where you don’t have room for a towering specimen such as a maple or magnolia. They’re fast-growing as well, so you achieve low-maintenance good looks without waiting forever.

Are there areas in your garden that look bare or need some spring color? An ornamental tree can bring interest to that space, and fall is the ideal time for planting. With warm soil that encourages roots to establish quickly, cooler temperatures, and more plentiful rainfall, fall planting typically is less stressful on new trees, says Zampini.

But before buying any tree, do some homework. “Read the plant tag, and talk to the nursery people,” says Zampini. “When you’re making any other large purchase for your home, such as an appliance, you do research. Do the same when selecting a tree so that it’s the right fit for your garden.”

The most common mistake is to underestimate a tree’s size someday years from now. You don’t want to plant a tree too close to your house, overhead wires, or sidewalks so that you have to prune it into submission constantly. Take the time to measure and map out its mature circumference and consider its eventual height before planting to save yourself maintenance issues down the road, says Zampini.

Ahead, a few ornamental trees that will thrive in any garden:

Redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Native to eastern North America, redbuds are true show-stoppers when they burst into bloom in early spring. Their exquisite pea-shaped blooms appear on bare branches, while the heart-shaped leaves in shades of green or red are attractive all season long.

Varieties to plant: Midnight Express® Redbud is fast-growing variety with pink flowers and deep burgundy foliage that holds its color better than others in the heat. It’s on the larger side at 20 to 30 feet tall but still works in most gardens.

Crabapple (Malus spp)

There’s nothing as mesmerizing as a crabapple in full bloom in the spring. Their lush flowers make them particularly appealing as an accent in a front yard or large garden bed. Wildlife enjoy the shiny, red fruits in fall.

Varieties to plant: With its fragrant white blooms, Lollipop® Crabapple keeps its charming round shape, maxing out at 8 feet tall and wide.

Show Time® Crabapple is larger, eventually reaching 25 feet tall, with deep pink flowers that are clustered on the branch, green leaves with a reddish tint, and vibrant red-orange fall foliage.

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)

These eye-catching trees make excellent specimen plantings for their finely-textured foliage and graceful forms. They work equally well in landscape beds or as a focal point in nearly any style garden. Many varieties have bright foliage that contrasts beautifully with other predominantly green plantings in the landscape.

Varieties to plant: Metamorphosa® Japanese Maple has a handsome, shrubby form. It’s true to its name with intriguing foliage coloration that emerges yellow, then morphs to a pinkish margin that shifts to white and reddish-orange in summer. Fall brings magnificent red-orange color that turns to red-violet. It’s truly unique!

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

Gingko trees are coveted for their unusual fan-shaped leaves. But some older varieties can become particularly tall and shed messy fruit. However, new cultivars are bred to be compact and columnar, yet still maintain their glowing golden color in autumn—but with no fruit production.

Varieties to plant: Skinny Fit® Gingko reaches sky-high so it makes an attractive accent—like an exclamation point!— in your garden. If you love drama, this dazzling columnar tree, which reaches 16 feet tall and a tidy 3 to 4 feet wide, deserves a spot in your landscape.

Hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli)

Native to the eastern U.S., hawthorn trees have attractive white flowers in spring, pretty silvery bark and bright fall foliage. The flowers support pollinators, such as bees, while songbirds are attracted to the “haws,” or fruits.

Varieties to plant: Crusader® Hawthorn is a thornless variety that is super-tough and can handle a wide variety of conditions. It tolerates most types of soil and salt and boasts good disease resistance. Its showy fruit supports wildlife.

Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus)

This lesser-known spring bloomer is absolutely stunning. With fragrant, bell-shaped blooms that cascade from its branches, it’s well-suited to plant alongside walkways so you can catch a whiff of its scent or in a landscape bed as a striking focal point.

Varieties to plant: Starway to Heaven® has an upright habit and boasts fragrant, five-petaled flowers in spring and fall. Each blossom nearly looks metallic, while the foliage emerges red and turns to green.

Marley’s Pink™ Styrax has a more elegant weeping form with graceful blush-pink flowers.

Learn more about these beautiful trees and more: Discover Trees - Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs

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