If maple trees are reserved for autumn, then blossoming trees are the very essence of spring. And many of them are compact and easy to grow.
WATCH: Graham Ross explores City of Sydney’s flowers
Plum
Grown mostly as an ornamental, the blossoms appear in late winter mostly as single-petal displays in dark red, pink or white and have a light fragrance. Some leaves are red or deep purple, almost black. Grow it in warm temperate to cold areas. It doesn’t like drought, but doesn’t like too much rain. It thrives in fertile, well-drained soil and a sunny spot, protected from the wind. It can grow to 10m, but many are small enough for a specimen in a small garden.
Peach
Peach blossoms pop up perkily along the branches before the leaves emerge and appear either as solitary flowers or as a pair. Rugged individualists, they can be light pink, a deep carmine or even a gentle purple. They can be large and showy or quite small and unpretentious. Traditionally, peach trees need a cold winter, but new varieties suit relatively warm areas. Whatever your climate, they need an open, sunny spot with well-drained soil and protection from the wind.
Cherry
This is the most spectacular of all blossoms when the trees are mass-planted along boulevards, riversides or lakesides. Water locations introduce a breeze, so it’s not just the trees that are filled with blossoms, but also the air. A characteristic of the mostly pale pink cherry blossom is the tiny split at the top of the petal, giving it a heart shape.
The flowers, often with multi layers of petals, dangle from long stems (as do the subsequent delicious fruit) giving them extra flamboyance. They need a cold winter, well-drained, nutrient-rich soil and an open, sunny spot.
Almond
The masses of extraordinarily beautiful white and pale pink blossoms start appearing in late July, early August, after the danger of frosts has gone. The blossoms are among the first to appear and give out a wondrous glow in the dim gloom of late winter. The tree, which can grow to 10m, thrives in a sunny spot with warm to hot summers, and mild, wet winters, but where it is not excessively rainy. Grow small varieties in pots, or larger types in the middle of an expanse of lawn for natural summer shade. They grow best in rich, well-drained soil.
Ornamental pear
If only it produced delicious fruit as well as it flowered, because the ornamental pear’s blossom is a vision in white. But the small, hard fruit is best left to the birds. This is a year-round beauty, with silky leaves in summer that turn brilliant red, purple and bronze in autumn. They’ve not even fully dropped when you see buds coming through for next spring. It’s a great urban tree as it tolerates pollution, poor soil, sun, shade as well as drought. Bring spring indoors with blossoms cut from an ornamental pear.
Pear
The lovely little cup shapes of new white or cream pear blossom often appear before the leaves but they can still be seen together on the tree. Pears grow into elegant, small shade trees but as they mature the trunk and limbs can develop a twisted, gnarly look. This is when the lovely, light-green leaves with their elegant drip tips and the clusters of delicate blossoms cover the skeleton like a lacy blanket, just as the weather warms up!
Pears are ideal for heavier and slightly wet soil. They’re the easiest fruit trees to grow, so long as you get some frosts. The lovely, long drip tips of pear leaves set off the clusters of flowers. Pear blossoms don’t have much nectar so can be shunned by bees. Garden flies can pollinate instead. The mass of blossoms shroud the trees like a light, lacy curtain.
Crabapple
Your day just instantly brightens at the sight of a blossoming crabapple. Blowsy white or pink flowers with golden centres seem to weigh down the spreading branches, but the tree itself generally has an open, relaxed habit, so all’s good. Essentially crabapples are the same as apples, but the fruit is much smaller and more tart. They like temperate to cool temperate climates, are frost hardy, happy in sun or light shade and cope with just about any type of soil, so long as it’s nutrient rich and well watered.
Apple
Most apple blossoms are a delicate pink when they emerge, then they fade to white as the season progresses. Depending on the cultivar, they can flower in early or late spring. Choose a tree suitable for your climate – they can grow in very cold areas to sub-tropical regions. Make sure they sit in full sun and are not exposed to the wind (coastal areas can be tricky). They prefer well-drained and nutrient-rich soil, but tolerate many other soil types, so long as it’s not waterlogged or too dry. Like pears, they perform brilliantly when espaliered against a heat-absorbing brick wall. Blossoms and brick just seem to go together. You can also grow them in pots.
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