Summer Blooming Trees

When planning our landscape we tend to make our selections from the list of numerous ostentatious spring blooming trees that are so readily available. To our disadvantage we tend to overlook the more reserved, yet exceptionally elegant, summer blooming trees. Check out this selection and consider one or two to round out the seasons when considering your next landscape addition.

Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) – Delicate crepe paper like flowers in mid to late summer in an assortment of colors like pink, fuchsia, coral, lavender, violet and red.

Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) – Small, multi-stemmed, native tree with fragrant, showy, fringe-like white flowers in early summer.

Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) – Medium tree with small, yellow flowers borne in showy, large, upright panicles in July.

Japanese Pagoda Tree (Sophora japonica) – Medium – large tree with creamy-white, slightly fragrant, flowers borne in hanging inflorescence, 6 – 12” long, in late summer, August through early September.

Japanese Stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia) – Pure white, camellia-like flowers with orange anthers bloom solitary in succession from June to August.

Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulate) – Small tree with fragrant, off- white, tiny flowers borne in showy, large, terminal panicles in early summer.

Korean Dogwood (Cornus kousa) – Flowers, with 4, large, showy, white bracts, aging to pink, sit atop tree foliage for up to 6 weeks in early summer.

Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum) – Fragrant, lily-of-the-valley like flowers drip from branch tips in summer. This tree also boast excellent scarlet fall color.

Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) – Flowers, borne singly, have large, 6 – 8” wide, pure white petals and bloom sporadically through the summer months.

Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) – Fragrant, showy, white flowers in summer, similar to but smaller than those of the Southern Magnolia.

Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) – A native tree with fragrant, white flowers borne in summer on pendulous, wisteria-like panicles. This tree often flowers on alternate years.