BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOM
Bursting into life at this time of year, blossom trees such as crab apple and flowering cherries, with their clouds of pink and white petals, are among the most inspiring sights of the changing season. Look for those small enough to grow in modest-sized gardens, or even in pots.
The versatile crab apple
At the start the year, crab apple tree boughs are heavy with frothy, candy-coloured blooms, and then when the fruit comes, many varieties provide a fabulous display of colour that will continue from autumn into winter. Thanks to its beautiful, delicate pink buds that open to fragrant white flowers, Malus ‘Evereste’ is a go-to tree for lots of garden designers. It can grow to 26ft so needs a fair-sized garden and should thrive in moderately fertile soil, tolerating partial shade. For small- to medium-sized spaces or for containers, ‘Adirondak’, which has waxy white flowers, is a good choice.
Ornamental selection
Flowering cherries are very easy to grow and produce wonderful blossom. For smaller spaces, two vase-shaped trees, Prunus ‘Snowgoose’ and ‘Sunset Boulevard’, are ideal. On the first, which will grow well in a moist, chalky soil, the large flowers are almost grey-white. On the second, which is well-suited to moderately fertile soil in full sun, the dark buds open to reveal white flowers edged with pink. A third smaller tree is Prunus ‘The Bride’ (pictured right), which enjoys similar growing conditions and will produce a froth of large single white flowers with a vibrant deep red centre.
Nothing says spring is here quite like the arrival of clouds of cherry blossom
Once you awaken to the charms of hellebores, they’re hard to resist