Dan's Papers - April 11, 2008 - Earthly Delights By April Gonzales

Flowering trees are a spring herald that last for generations. If they produce fruit, migrating birds may stop in on their way south in the fall or you may get to pick a snack in you own garden. Whether they are planted as a single specimen, an orchard or an alee, watching the blossoms drop like spring snow is entrancing.

Many people line their driveways with white flowering Bradford pears. Years ago they had problems - branches were weak, and an entire side of older trees could snap off. Hybridization over the past several decades has changed that, making these delightful trees in the landscape. "Cleveland Select" is a very slender spire-like variety that works well in narrow spaces. Elegant and similar to the round-headed Bradford pear, they're the first tree to bloom and the last to turn color and drop their leaves in the fall. These trees are not necessarily salt tolerant but they do very well in our climate. Tiny pears will occasionally develop on Bradford pears, but not enough to really make a show like ornamental apples.

Crab apple orchards have also been plagued with problems. Their early spring blossoms can drift down to the lawn and completely cover it with color. Unfortunately, some varieties have leaf fungus issues that need a regular spray program to keep them from dropping off and looking withered. Neem oil is a good treatment for this if you want to use an organic spray program, but newer varieties of crab apple can help you avoid this kind of maintenance. Malus floribunda is an older variety that has cerise buds that open to white. The trunk and branch structure is often graceful and has more character than some of the varieties that resemble lollipops. Centurion has a darker leaf, opening burgundy and fading slightly over the summer to green, and the deep pink buds open to single deep rose flowers.

Any fruiting tree will grace a sunny spring landscape. Peaches, nectarines, cherries, apples and apricots will all grow well here and bloom in a variety of pinks, peaches and whites.

You may be hard pressed to get the fruit before the birds, but there's nothing like climbing your own tree for the ripest, reddest apple on top - or the greenest. Granny Smiths are very popular as a tart apple, but the most delicious apple historically has been Cox's Orange Pippin, an old Victorian variety still occasionally available today, or try for Jonagold.

Ornamental cherries come in numerous carefree varieties that bloom in pink or white. Prunus "Yoshino" is upright with a single white flower, Prunus "Snowgoose" is a round-headed white tree. The old stand by, Prunus kwanzan, is the fabulous vase shaped double pink that can grow anywhere, even down by the ocean. Underplant with a mix of single and double white daffodils for a prolonged bloom period.

A relative of cherries, the purple leaved plum, Prunus ceracifera, has a single pink blossom. It's one of the many plum varieties that the Japanese have revered and painted for centuries. Every time you pass through Water Mill you can see one up against the brick wall of the post office. These varieties look fantastic with a backdrop of blue spruce.

Beginning to bloom at the same time as the fruit trees is Magnolia stellata, perhaps the queen of the spring flowering trees. Also known as the star magnolia, it is covered with strappy white flowers with a light fragrance. This is the earliest blooming magnolia and there are some immense specimens around. Their bark is a smooth gray like a beech but they have a more interesting and upright branching structure that makes them a better year round specimen for a sunny area.

The sugar magnolia blooms next and comes in a wide range of colors. "Jane" is a very deep rose that opens up into tulip shape. "Elizabeth" is in production now and larger specimens can be found of this unusual yellow variety. Like all the trees mentioned here, full sun is required, but these Magnolia varieties do need a little protection from late spring frosts to keep the bud tips from browning.

Pansies, Allysum, Stocks and Dusty Miller can all go in the garden now but it is way too early for other annuals to be planted. Sow some seeds in the vegetable garden instead and get the irrigation system turned on early to keep evergreens from suffering early spring windburn.