BLOSSOMS for Mother’s Day
There is something about spring blossoms and Mother’s Day that pulls on my heart strings and brings out my sentimental side.
In my mind’s eye, the most perfect Mother’s Day happened on a trip to my paternal grandparents’ farm when I was growing up. The farm’s lane, no more than two dirt tracks marking the route to the back of the property, was lined with fruit trees that came into bloom in May with luscious pink and white blossoms — talk about a picture perfect scene. I was too young to realize the hard work (and no doubt heartache) that this lane had witnessed over the years, to me, a laneway lined with arching blossoms was absolute bliss.
After piling into the back seat, Grandpa Timco loaded us up with branches of fragrant blossoms — I’m pretty sure I smiled all the way home.
It’s funny how a simple gesture could create such a vivid memory. What did we eat for dinner that night? What else did we do to celebrate Mother’s Day? Those memories are long gone … but the blossoms remain.
Today, I am still drawn to spring flowering trees, such as Japanese cherries, ornamental pears, apples, crabapples, serviceberries and magnolias. My favourite spring blossoms can be found planted as an allée, lining both sides of a laneway or a grassy path, other times they may be planted as a spring focal point on a lawn. Smaller flowering trees may be included in a shrub border. No matter how they are used, flowering trees celebrate spring with a flourish of colour.
If you are looking for a special gift for your mother this year, a spring flowering tree might be worth your consideration.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier)
Serviceberries are native throughout Ontario, the downy serviceberry (A. arborea) is found in southwestern Ontario and smooth serviceberry (A. laevis) is found from southern Ontario to Lake Superior. Serviceberry can be a single small tree (up to 12 metres tall) or a multistemmed clump suitable for a shrub border. They are very adaptable, accepting both moist to dry sites, only water logged soils are not acceptable. Offer them partial shade to full sun. They have attractive clusters of white flowers in the spring, followed by tasty berries in early to mid-summer. In my home garden, the robins devour the berries if I don’t harvest them quickly.
Serviceberries are very easy to maintain, they have colourful fall foliage and are a good choice for habitat gardens.
Flowering Japanese cherry (prunus)
Double flowered Japanese cherries such as Kwanzan are noted for their profuse and showy pink spring blooms. The trees typically reach 7.5 to nine metres in height and with a spreading vase shape. The plants are sterile and do not produce fruit. New leaves may be tinged with red, their fall colour is orange/bronze. Flowering Japanese cherries look attractive in small groupings on a large property (or in a park setting) or as a specimen for the home property. They can be susceptible to insect and disease pests so do your research before bringing one home. They flower best in rich, well-drained loam and a sunny location.
Crabapple (malus)
The malus family includes some 35 species of deciduous trees and shrubs that are best grown in welldrained, acidic loam in full sun, but they adapt to a wide range of soils. The flowers may be white, pink or wine red, with green or wine-red coloured leaves, depending on the variety. Crabapples are small trees growing about five metres tall making them suitable for the smaller property. Sadly, they are subject to disease and insect pests, but certain varieties such as American Spirit (with rose/red flowers and deep red fruit) show excellent disease resistance, so again, do your research before investing. The red fruits add interest to the winter garden, but they are attractive to birds.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention fruit trees such as apple, cherry, plum or pear that can be grown in the home garden here in Niagara. They can be both an interesting and challenging hobby according to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture omafra.gov.on.ca website and list the fruit trees in the Home Garden page. To properly set fruit, fruit trees need full sun. Wet spots or poorly drained soils should be avoided, but the trees accept a wide range of soil types if it is well drained. Apricot, cherry and peach perform best on well-drained, sandy loam soils. If you would like to try your hand at growing a fruit tree, I would suggest reading up on the subject at the aforementioned website so that you understand the best practices to follow before investing in any fruit trees.
Sadly, my grandparents’ family farm is long gone, but the memories remain. This weekend, I hope to venture out along the country roads and take in the blossoming fruit trees. Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and Queen Victoria Park have spectacular Japanese flowering cherries, magnolias and crabapple trees on display. The RBG in Hamilton also has similar collections to explore. The window of opportunity to see the blossoms is short — be sure to get out and enjoy this annual treat.