Spring into Blossom
One of the joys of walking through our tree nursery in spring is the delightful blossom that graces the cherry trees, with their abundant pink or white flowers. Crab apple and Magnolias are in full bloom too.
Orchard Blossom
The National Trust recently conducted a survey, and found that more than half of the orchards in England and Wales have been lost since 1900. The Trust is encouraging people to plant more blossoming trees and believe that planting native and historic varieties, and other trees such as blackthorn and hawthorn, are vital to supporting nature. They are committed to planting and establishing 20 million trees across England, Wales and Northern Ireland by 2030, including four million blossom trees.
Bring Back The Blossom
The colourful display of springtime blossom has been part of British folklore and culture for centuries, with fruit trees in orchards among the first to bloom.
Traditional orchards can support wildlife, such as flies, bees, bats and birds. The knotted trunks and branches of trees provide a home for patrolling bats; while flowers are a food source for pollinating insects.
You can help to bring back the blossom by planting flowering trees in your garden. There are trees to sort all sizes of gardens, from small family gardens to larger plots that could accommodate an orchard.
Top Blossom Trees
If you are looking for some spring colour in your gardens, we can recommend the following Flowering Trees to consider.
Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’
This ornamental winter flowering cherry tree produces semi-double white flowers intermittently from November to March when the weather is mild. It also has good orange/yellow autumn colour.
Prunus Accolade (Flowering Cherry)
The Accolade Cherry is a gorgeous deciduous tree that takes a spreading habit. It’s one of the earliest cherry trees to blossom its semi-double flowers. Beginning with a beautiful pale pink, then fading to a much lighter colour of pink mid autumn.
Prunus cerasifera Nigra (Purple Plum)
This Purple Plum tree has distinctively dark brown bark and pretty single pink flowers that appear early in the spring and remain on the tree whilst the dark foliage begins to emerge, gradually fading to white and contrasting fantastically with the dark leaves.
Malus evereste (Crab apple ‘Evereste’)
Malus Everesteis a conical apple tree with delightful spring blossom. The flowers are red in bud but open up into a profusion of white flowers. In autumn it bears masses of red-flushed, orange-yellow fruits.
Magnolia stellata (Star magnolia)
The Star magnolia is a charming, slow growing tree. The buds open up to spreading white flowers in March to April before giving way to lush, mid-green leaves.
Magnolia kobus (Northern Japanese magnolia)
This hardy magnolia that has a profusion of large, white flowers which can grow as early as March on bare stems and can reach up to 10cm across.
Hedging Alternatives
If you are looking for a hedge alternative to a tree, then our Practical Native Mix Instant Hedge has plants that are native to the UK and as such emulate traditional country hedgerows found throughout Britain. A typical composition would include five of the following seven species: Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Viburnum opulus (Guelder Rose), Hornbeam, Hazel, Dogwood, and Field Maple – many of which produce blossom and/or fruits.
Look out for #BlossomWatch on social media – and if you would like to add some flowering trees to your garden, please email us hedge@pracbrown.co.uk
