Q: I want to plant a small flowering tree in a sunny spot in my garden. There are already dogwoods, cherries, plums and redbuds in my neighborhood. Can you suggest a few spring-blooming alternatives?
A: Even if you are in the mood for something unusual, you don’t have to resort to the exotic. There are several underused American natives that fit your request. They may not match the vividness of familiar Asian species in full bloom, such as the frilly double-flowered Kanzan cherry, but their quiet beauty will draw many admirers. And most will grow no more than 30 feet high, the textbook definition of a small garden tree.
One of the most graceful, Carolina silverbell (Halesia tetraptera), has dangling hoop skirts of pure white flowers followed by lobed fruit. In Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Michael Dirr, a woody-plant expert, praises its merits: “The flowers, in a subtle, not boisterous way, are among the most beautiful of all flowering trees.”
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