Flowering Trees

How to choose a flowering tree

Start with timing, because no tree flowers all year and the best gardens stagger the show. Deciduous magnolias open in late winter and early spring on bare branches. Flowering plums, cherries, crab apples and ornamental pears follow with spring blossom. Jacarandas turn on their purple haze in late spring, and summer belongs to the crepe myrtles, frangipanis, golden pendas and the tropical spectaculars like poinciana.

Then be honest about space. This collection runs from compact crepe myrtles that top out near 3m to a poinciana that wants an 8m canopy and a lawn to itself. A flowering tree jammed into a space half its size gets hacked into a shape that never flowers properly, so match the mature dimensions on each listing to the spot before you commit to the colour.

The big families in the collection

Two dozen crepe myrtle varieties anchor the summer end: compact Diamonds in the Dark selections for courtyards through to 7m avenue trees like Natchez and Tuscarora, all heat and drought tolerant once established. The magnolia range covers both camps, deciduous tulip flowered types for cool climate spring drama and evergreen grandifloras with year round glossy foliage. Blossom trees, the pears, plums, cherries and crab apples, are the cool climate champions, many doubling up with strong autumn colour. Australian natives carry the nectar: bottlebrush, wattle, grevillea, the Illawarra flame tree and golden penda all pull honeyeaters into the garden. And for frost free gardens there are the tropical showstoppers: poinciana, tabebuia, cassia, bauhinia and frangipani.

Matching tree to climate

• Tropical and subtropical gardens. Poinciana, golden penda, tabebuia, cassia, bauhinia and frangipani are at their best here. Deciduous blossom trees that need winter chill, like cherries and crab apples, flower poorly north of about Coffs Harbour.
• Warm temperate gardens around Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. The widest choice: jacaranda, crepe myrtle, magnolia, ornamental pear and all the natives perform.
• Cool temperate gardens, including Melbourne, Canberra, Tasmania and the ranges. Ornamental pears, flowering plums, cherries, crab apples, deciduous magnolias and crepe myrtles all handle frost well. Skip the tropical group entirely.
• Dry inland gardens. Crepe myrtle, wattle, bottlebrush and white cedar cope with heat and low rainfall better than the blossom trees, which want a deep drink to flower well.

Planting and early care

Almost every tree here flowers hardest in full sun, six hours or more a day. Dig the hole twice the width of the rootball and no deeper, water in heavily, and mulch 75mm deep keeping mulch off the trunk. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer rather than a light daily sprinkle, and stake loosely only if the site is windy. Keep large growers 4m to 5m clear of the house and major paving, and give avenue plantings 4m to 6m between trees. Feed once in early spring with a complete fertiliser; overfeeding a flowering tree buys you leaves at the expense of blooms.

Common questions

Which flowering trees keep their leaves?

Golden penda, bottlebrush, grevillea and the evergreen magnolias hold their foliage year round, which matters where the tree doubles as screening. Most of the rest, including jacaranda, poinciana and the blossom trees, drop leaves in winter or in the dry season. That is often a feature: winter sun comes through exactly when you want it. Our guide to deciduous trees covers where leaf drop works for you rather than against you.

What suits a small garden?

Compact crepe myrtles sit near 3m, evergreen magnolias like Teddy Bear stay narrow, and a frangipani grows so slowly it can hold a courtyard corner for decades. All three also handle large pots.

How long until a new tree flowers?

Most grafted and cutting grown varieties here flower within two to three seasons of planting. Seed grown shade species can take longer, and a tree in too much shade may never flower properly, so position matters more than patience.

How does delivery work for larger trees?

Everything is delivered Australia wide with delivery from $29.95, and there is no minimum order. Advanced and large ex ground stock is freighted at cost, quoted for your address. Every tree carries the 30 day healthy plant guarantee. For pruning and variety detail on the summer flowering favourites, the crepe myrtle care guide and magnolia care guide are the places to start.