When spring fever hits you, it represents a great time to start planning your landscaping for the upcoming season. One of the things that people enjoy most about spring is the plants coming back into a growth pattern. Property owners especially love flowers as they provide both beauty and for many of them, a pleasant smell to help you welcome back spring. In addition to the smaller plants that you ready for the warmer ground, consider putting flowering trees in your yard. These trees are beautiful to behold in the spring if you show any interest in harvesting some of nature’s bounty. Take a look at some options for flowering trees in NJ to celebrate the spring season.
Flowering Trees to Plant This Spring
Take your yard to new levels this year with some fantastic trees for your yard that add beauty and value to your property.
Dogwood Trees
Dogwood trees are native to New Jersey and are a great option for your yard. Dogwoods flourish and provide you with beautiful colors all season long. These blossoms come in white or pink. You do need to take care of a dogwood tree because it is subject to a few different diseases.
Magnolia Trees
Magnolia blossoms are truly something to behold. They are large and chalice-shaped. Magnolia blossoms usually contain white with a pink tinge, but you can also get trees with deep maroon and even yellow blossoms.
Redbud Trees
Redbud trees showcase dozens of magenta flowers on each and every branch. You can also find these trees with white or rosy pink blossoms, but those are less common.
Silver Bell Trees
Just like their name, silver bell trees offer blossoms that look like bells. These flowers are usually white and show themselves in April. These trees are disease-free, so they don’t take much work to keep healthy.
How to Plant and Care For Flowering Trees in NJ
You need a plan as you care for your flowering trees and plants. Here are some suggestions.
Flowering trees should be planted together
When planting flowering trees, plant them together in beds. This makes them look even better than if you were to plant them separately. Grouping them also has other advantages. The roots will be able to grow freely throughout the entire bed. You can water and fertilize them all at the same time. You also save time by not having to trim around the trunks. Grouping trees together will help keep the trunks from becoming damaged.
Cut off the burlap
Before you cover the roots with soil, make sure to pull or cut off the burlap. If the burlap is synthetic, it will not decay and the roots become trapped in the root ball. Even natural-fiber burlap can cause damage.
Measure the hole
Before you plant your tree, measure the planting hole depth. It should not be deeper than the root ball. The hole width should be twice as wide as the root ball. If your soil is heavy clay, you should leave the top third to half of the root ball above the surface.
Use a shovel handle to test the accuracy of your hole depth
Once you think you’ve dug a hole that’s deep enough, put the root ball in it. Then, lay the shovel handle across the top of the hole. If it’s even with or just lower than the top of the root ball, you’re at the correct depth.
Use ground covers
You should plant your trees with ground covers if you don’t want to use mulch.
Don’t change the soil
If you add compost to the hole before you put the tree in, it can cause an underdeveloped root system. If you live in north or central New Jersey, you have very hard clay in your yard. With compost, the roots will stay in this material and never fully take root into the actual ground. This can cause your new tree to die within a few years. Instead of putting compost into the hole, put it on top of the soil on a regular basis. The nutrients will then seep down and feed the tree, but the roots will grow where they are supposed to go under the ground.
By planting the gorgeous flowering trees in NJ above and following these tips, you can create a beautiful yard that you will enjoy every spring. Consult with a landscape design professional to determine the best locations for the trees you like most.
Thank you for reading our blog! How can we help you? Contact us today. We can help with questions such as “What trees are blooming now in NJ?” or if you want to know which of these trees are fast-growing.