27 Flowering Trees for Year-Round Color

There are thousands of varieties of flowering trees available, including Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ pictured above, which blushes a rosy pink and grows into a small tree up to 30 feet tall. Place this early spring beauty where you’ll easily see the color from indoors. In northern zones, avoid planting it against a southern wall, where heat might promote too-early flowering that late spring frosts can destroy. It's hardy to Zones 5 to 9.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a flowering tree for your yard: size, form and overall appearance of the tree when in full bloom, whether such obstructions as power lines could be in the way and how it would shade other plants. Also, consider how fall foliage, fruit or bark color would complement the other plantings in your yard, and whether any of your trees provide texture for winter interest. And look for ones that avoid weak branching, particularly if you live in areas where icing could be an issue.

Check out some of our favorite flowering trees along with advice on how to use them in your outdoor space.

Large flowers at least 6 inches across make this traditional spring favorite awe-inspiring. This photo compares Venus blooms (top) to a typical white flowering dogwood (bottom). Give Venus part shade in the South; full sun up North. Landscape use: Small tree grows 15 to 18 feet tall. Site it where you’ll be able to see the flower show from indoors. Strawberry-like fruits linger well into fall. Hardy in Zones 5 to 9.

Large white flowers cover Hyperion dogwood in early spring. Hyperion hails from the dogwood breeding team at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The over-size blooms nearly overlap to blanket the tree in white. Flowers fade to form red, strawberry-like fruits that birds love. Fall color offers a medley of hues: purple, gold and orange. Expect this dogwood to reach its mature size of 20 feet tall and wide in roughly 20 years. Hardy in Zones 6-9.

Beautiful pink-red blooms transform bare branches into magic wands in early spring. The green heart-shape leaves of Cercis reniformis ‘Oklahoma’ turn gold in fall. Landscape use: A good tree for a small yard or sidewalk planting. Use beneath tall trees or position it solo in a yard. Hardy in Zones 6 to 9.