It's a feast for the eyes, a
breakfast for the soul. We fall in love with color so easily in
spring that even non-gardeners say of something seen in
bloom,"That's it, it's perfect for that spot I have to plant." At
the garden center that person says, "I don't know what it is except
it's (name a color)."
Here's a line up to help you identify unknown spring beauties.
We've included many that star from late April up to about Memorial
Day across the middle of North America. (Stretching into early
June, farther north).
Color key: A quick link-list by
color
By plant name: Link-list of plants
included in this article
However, before you note a plant's name and run out to buy it,
click on its name or photo here. That will take you to the plant's
summary page where we list what's good, great or simply essential
to know.
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Color key
To find a plant by its color or to look for trees and shrubs
that bloom the color you need:
• Do a quick scroll of this whole
article, stopping each time you see that color.
• Or click through the plants listed
below for the color you're seeking.
| See this color in spring on a tree or
shrub... |
...it may be a:
(Many species have a wide range in bloom color. Links below take
you to more information about the species; photos there may not
portray the species' entire spectrum.) |
| White |
andromeda, azalea, bridal veil
spirea, callery pear, cherry (pie-, weeping-, others), crabapple, flowering
dogwood, Fothergilla,
fragrant Viburnum (Burkwood, Koreanspice, Judd, others), hawthorn,
horsechestnut, leatherleaf
Viburnum, lilac (common- and tree
liac), Magnolia, mock orange, Rhododendron, serviceberry |
| Pink |
azalea, cherry (Kwanzan-, weeping-, others), crabapple, flowering
dogwood, flowering almond, hawthorn, Magnolia, mountain laurel, Rhododendron, sandcherry |
| Red |
azalea, quince, red maple, red horsechestnut, Rhododendron |
| Violet |
crabapple, lilac
(common- and dwarf lilac), redbud, Rhododendron, Wisteria |
| Maroon |
(leaf color) barberry, crabapple, Japanese
maple, Norway maple, peony, purple leaf
plum, shrub rose |
| Blue |
vining Clematis montana |
| Yellow-green |
elm, Norway
maple, red oak, sugar maple |
| Yellow |
azalea, clove currant, Cornelian
cherry, Forsythia, grapeholly, Kerria, Magnolia |
| Orange |
azalea |
This key is a good start but not without bumps. For instance,
some people say quince is orange but we've listed it as red because
we most often hear people refer to it that way. Viburnums
are another example. We list them as white even yet there are a few
uncommon pinks, and some are pink in bud before they open to
white.
Plants pictured here
azalea
barberry
callery
pear, cherry, crabapple,
dwarf lilac (photo at top of this
article)
elm
flowering almond, flowering dogwood, Forsythia, Fothergilla,
fragrant Viburnum (Burkwood, Koreanspice, Judd,
others),
grapeholly
hawthorn
Japanese maple
Kerria, Kwanzan cherry,
leatherleaf
Viburnum, lilac
Magnolia
Norway maple
peony, purple leaf plum
quince
red maple, red oak, redbud, Rhododendron,
rose
sandcherry, sugar maple
tree lilac
weeping cherry, Wisteria
Plant in our chart or list has no link?
Use our Search for more information, which is almost
certainly here. The links featured here are specifically to spring
portraits. For instance, dwarf lilac features in a great
pruning article but its spring color is secondary
there.
Barberry
Barberry (Berberis thunbergii var.
atropurpurea) with Judd Viburnum (Viburnum x
juddii).
Callery pear, flowering
pear
Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) varieties
'Bradford' (left) and 'Chanticleer' (right).
Cherries
Weeping
cherry (Prunus subhirtella
'Pendula')
Kwanzan cherry
(Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan', P. x
'Yedoensis')
Crabapples
Crabapples (Malus hybrids and
cultivars)
Elm
American elm (Ulmus americana)
Below: Camperdown elm (Ulmus
glabra 'Camperdownii')
Flowering
almond
Flowering almond (Prunus
triloba)
Flowering
dogwood
Flowering
dogwood (Cornus florida hybrids and
cultivars)
Most spring blooming dogwoods have lacy
flowers, or are creamy white. The popular shrub dogwoods (redtwig,
yellowtwig) bloom white. The flowers of North American native
pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) are lacy and creamy
white.
Forsythia
Forsythia
species
Fothergilla
Fothergilla (Fothergilla
gardenii)
Grapeholly
Grapeholly (Mahonia aquifolium 'Compacta',
M. repens?)
Hawthorn
Hawthorn (Crataegus ssp.)
Jetbead
Jetbead (Rhodotypos
scandens)
Kerria
Kerria
japonica
Lilac
Lilac (Syringa hybrids and
cultivars)
Magnolia
Magnolia (Magnolia cultivars
and hybrids)
Oak
Red oak (Quercus
rubra)
Plum
Purple leaf plum (Prunus
cerasifera)
Quince
Quince (Chaenomeles
speciosa)
Redbud,
Eastern redbud
Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Rhododendron and azalea
Rhododendron (azaleas are
Rhododendron cultivars and hybrids)
Viburnum
Fragrant viburnums
(Viburnum carlesii, V. x judii, V. x
burkwoodii)
Leatherleaf
viburnums (Viburnum rhytidophyllum, V. x
rhytidophylloides)
Sandcherry
Purple
leaf sandcherry (Prunus x
cistena)
Wisteria
Wisteria (Wisteria
floribunda)
Maroon
foliage, other colors, too!
Don't forget the foliage color which can be as beautiful
as the flowers.
Below (right to left): Yellow leaf Norway maple
(Acer platanoides 'Princeton Gold', seen far less often
than the purple leaf A. p. 'Crimson King'), Japanese maple
(Acer palmatum atropurpurea) and flowering crab
(Malus hybrid).
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