It’s not hard to set your Southwest garden ablaze with flowering shrubs and familiar trees. In the right zones, jacaranda (Jacaranda spp. and cvs., Zones 9–11), crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica and cvs., Zones 6–9), blue palo verde (Parkinsonia florida, Zones 8–11), desert willow (Chilopsis linearis, Zones 9–11), and even crabapples (Malus spp. and cvs., Zones 4–9) are easy to come by, providing reliable color in their preferred season. But if you’re the kind of gardener who likes to push the envelope or just try something different, here are a handful of uncommon flowering trees to seek out that you’re not likely to see in a typical landscape.
(Ceiba speciosa syn. Chorisia speciosa)
Zones: 9–11 (hardy to 20°F for brief periods once established)
Size: 30 to 40 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun; average, well-drained soil
Native range: South America
This tree will become an impressive specimen over time, the sort that will inspire frequent “What the... ?” comments from even casual observers. Even young trees sport a stout trunk amply peppered with cone-shaped protrusions reminiscent of dinosaur armor. Trunks often expand to a bottle-shape with age. Marble-size flower buds begin to form in late summer, bursting into large hibiscus-like flowers in shades of pink each October—a season not typically known for spectacular flowering displays. Glossy, palmately compound leaves often drop briefly during the chill of midwinter, revealing the tree’s interesting horizontal branching pattern. Floss silk tree develops into an irregularly oval to conical shape at maturity and appreciates deep infrequent watering on occasion.
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2024 is a big year for football fans and punters assessing the best sign-up offers, with Euro 24 in Germany kicking off in June. However, when studying the form of the players and sides ahead of the summer showpiece, have you ever stopped to wonder what a footballer has in his garden?
MOST PEOPLE call in an arborist when they think it’s time for a tree to be removed, a costly process both financially and environmentally, since trees are critical drivers of diversity. Today’s guest runs a tree-care company and also a tree-focused nonprofit that emphasize other services instead of removals, advocating for the planting of young trees, for caring for our trees with smart structural pruning, and regular inspections to get to know them better and stay ahead of any problems, and for thoughtful support of dead and dying trees as important forever members of our ecosystems.
Are you searching for the perfect gift for the gardening enthusiast in your life? Look no further than the GardenAdvice one-day gardening course. This hands-on experience is tailored to take place in the recipient’s own garden, ensuring a personalised and practical approach to learning.
Spring is fading fast, and memories of the daffodil and tulip bulbs that we filled our beds and containers with are starting to fade also. Now is the time to think about summer-flowering bulbs to help a with the transition between spring and full summer. Just as a heads-up: Most gardens and sellers tend to lump tubers, corms, and rhizomes into a generic grouping referred to as “bulbs.” Many later-blooming bulbs are available from local nurseries and online resources. The common ones such as lilies (Lilium spp. and cvs., Zones 4–9), lily of the Nile (Agapanthus spp. and cvs., Zones 6–10), gladiola (Gladiolus spp. and cvs., Zones 8–10), and alliums (Allium spp. and cvs., Zones 4–9) are well and good, but two of my favorite bulbs bring a little more excitement to garden beds.
As one of the most unmistakable and recognizable flowers in the world, the peony has been revered for its enduring beauty and fragrance for centuries. It is believed that these highly valued blooms have been cultivated in China since 1000 BC. Since then, hybridizers have been creating a myriad of spectacular cultivars in a wide range of colors and flower forms.
As trends often go, what’s old is new again, and the garden is no exception. Romantic and whimsical gardens are back in style, along with many classic blooms like roses, hydrangeas, and 2024’s “it” flower—the peony.
I have grown alliums for their stunning architectural form for years, but one is by far my favorite: ‘Ambassador’. Although its bulb is related to garlic, onions, and shallots, this ornamental garden variety is a show-stopper. There are many other allium cultivars out there, ranging in size, color, and form, but ‘Ambassador’ rises to the top of my list for a lot of reasons.