5 Small Blooming Trees for Urban Spaces

March 23, 2015 | By webadmin

Living in Dallas requires that every homeowner plant some shade. That means large trees! However, low hanging electrical wires, sidewalks, driveways and placement of your home can limit the areas where you can accommodate big trees. But don’t worry, there are many beautiful blooming small trees and large shrubs that you can plant to accent your smaller spaces.

Small blooming trees are perfect for creating focal points in the landscape, framing your patio and for creating habitat for wildlife.  Here are a few of our favorite small blooming trees that are excellent for the low-maintenance landscape.

Dessert Willow Chilopsis linearis Have you seen the row of Dessert Willow trees blooming at North Park Mall? They are quite a sight to see with their pale pink and deep purple blooms during the heat of summer.  These trees are incredibly tough in Texas landscape. They tolerate a variety of soils and stand up to drought. Their wispy foliage and big flowers soften the look of your landscape. Allow plants to grow into their natural organic shape and plant with other waterwise plants such as red yucca and salvia.

Redbud Rising SunTM (Cercis canadensis) Redbud trees are excellent for their stunning fall color and pretty flowers that are some of the first to open in spring. The variety ‘Rising Sun’ is a new must-have for smaller landscapes due to its compact size. At only 12-feet tall and 8-feet wide, it’ll fit almost anywhere. After the blooms fade in spring, hearshaped foliage appears as golden orange before turning to bright yellow. In fall, leaves turn a pale yellow. Plants can tolerate afternoon shade.

Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora) When it comes to tough Texas native trees, Texas Mountain Laurel is a favorite! We love it best for its grape Kool-aid scent and deep purple blooms offset by glossy green foliage. In the best of conditions, it can grow to about 25-feet tall, but it grows very, very slowly. You’ll most often see plants grow to about 12-feet tall in the Dallas area. Plant in full sun in a space that has good drainage.

Smoke Tree (Cotinus obovatus) We wish more people would plant this unique specimen! Cloud-like blooms in deep purple bloom in spring, creating a sort of smoky appearance within the foliage. Plant in your front landscaper and watch people slow as they drive by to get a better view of this gorgeou tree. New foliage has a pinkish hue, turning to a dark green as the season rolls on. Offers lovely fall color as well with the foliage turning shades of yellow, orange and burgundy. Grows in a multitrunk form up to 20-feet tall, but can be pruned to be a single trunk.

Peach ‘Bonanza’ or ‘Bonfire’ If you’re looking to pack a big punch into a small space, look for these ultra dwarf peach varieties. Plants grow to only 6-feet tall and about 5-feet wide. They put on a bounty of bloom in spring; ‘Bonanza sports light pink flowers and dark burgundy foliage, while ‘Bonanza’ produces hot pink flowers and light green foliage. Both produce full-sized fruit after several years in the landscape.

Peach ‘Bonfire’

If you find yourself in need of help planning your smaller space, please give us a call this spring.