If you have ever traveled down the Northern State Parkway on a warm sunny spring day, you likely noticed the beautiful trees and shrubs bursting with color. Bright yellow blooms and pretty pink and white flowers grace the way as you travel to your destination.
You may have even wondered, “What is that beautiful plant?” Those hardy plants are not just for the roadways, you can also enjoy them in your own backyard.
Grab a trowel and head to your local garden center and get some inspiration for this season’s spring blooms that is a step outside the box of carnations and marigolds.
Forsythia
One of the most recognizable spring blooming shrubs on Long Island, its long stems produce brilliant yellow flowers. This hardy plant can be used to create a living fence between neighbors or as a specimen along the back of a border planting. Bring the outdoors in by soaking cuttings in a vase indoors to bloom.
Eastern Redbud Tree
A spectacular spring bloomer with very showy pinkish purple flowers held tightly on bare branches, the leaves appear after the flowers and have a beautiful heart-like shape. The Eastern redbud is the perfect small ornamental tree for homes of any size.
Dogwood Tree
Everyone is familiar with the flowering dogwood tree. It is famous for its large yet delicate blooms in spring and excellent wide-spreading form. In the fall, the leaves of the dogwood tree turn a brilliant red. It is known to attract birds, making it a favorite of bird lovers.
Purple Leaf Plum
A stunning accent tree that resembles a cloud of fragrant spring flowers in spring, deep purple foliage graces the tree well into fall. If you are looking for a tree with leaves other than green, this tree will easily become your favorite.
Fothergilla
One of my personal favorite spring bloomers is a plant called Fothergilla. Also known as the bottle-brush plant, fothergilla is an often unknown but really beautiful spring flowering plant. Spikes of fragrant white flowers appear in mid spring followed by bluish green foliage in the summer. The leaves turn a brilliant red in the fall. It is perfect as a stand-alone plant in the garden, or used as a medium-sized hedge for screening.
Spring is in the air, so choose the trees and shrubs that will make every spring one to remember.
Karen Musgrave is a Certified Nursery Landscape Professional (CNLP) and a marketing and education specialist at Hicks Nurseries, Inc., 100 Jericho Tpke. in Westbury. For more information, visit www.hicksnurseries.com or call 516-334-0066.
