12 spring flowering trees that actually deliver (and one to skip)

The two weeks in March and April when flowering trees peak is the best show your yard will put on all year. One tree gives you a two-week burst. Three trees planted with staggered bloom times give you two to three months of continuous flowers from late February through June.

I’ve watched my neighborhood transform every spring for over twenty years in Northern California. The yards that look best aren’t the ones with the biggest tree. They’re the ones where something is always blooming. Here are twelve species organized by when they flower so you can plan a yard that delivers spring color for months, plus one popular tree you should absolutely skip.

Spring flowering trees also serve a purpose beyond looks. They’re the first major food source for bees and butterflies after winter. Penn State Extension notes that a single flowering tree can provide as much nectar and pollen as an entire field of wildflowers.

Early spring bloomers (late February through March)

Star Magnolia (Magnolia stellata)

Star Magnolia is often the first deciduous tree to flower each spring, sometimes blooming as early as late February. The white star-shaped flowers have 12-18 petals each and open before the leaves emerge, covering bare branches in white.

The best part: Star Magnolia starts flowering at just 2-3 years old. Most spring flowering trees make you wait 5-7 years for a decent show. This one delivers almost immediately. It stays compact at 15-20 feet tall and 10-15 feet wide, making it a genuine small-yard tree.

The honest downside: late frost can destroy the flowers overnight. If you get a March cold snap after the buds open, the show is over for the year. In NorCal zones 8-9, that’s rare. In zones 4-6, it’s a real gamble. Plant it in a sheltered spot against a south-facing wall for the best odds. Zones 4-8. Budget $80-200 for a nursery specimen.

Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)

Redbud is the native crowd-pleaser. Rose-pink flower clusters appear directly on bare branches and even along the trunk in March and April, weeks before the heart-shaped leaves emerge. The effect is unlike any other tree. It looks like someone glued flowers to sticks.

Redbud grows 20-30 feet tall with a spreading canopy. The cultivar list is outstanding: ‘Forest Pansy’ has deep purple foliage all season. ‘Ruby Falls’ is a weeping form that stays under 10 feet. ‘Rising Sun’ produces chartreuse-to-gold new growth that matures to green. All three deliver solid fall color too.

Redbud is a native pollinator powerhouse. Clemson HGIC lists it as one of the five best native trees for bees because it blooms early when other food sources are scarce. Zones 4-9. Budget $50-150.

For California yards, Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) is the better pick. It’s a California native, drought tolerant once established, and recommended by the Sacramento Tree Foundation as a top spring flowering tree for the region. It stays smaller at 10-20 feet with magenta-pink flowers. For more native options, see our trees native to Sacramento.

Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana)

The showstopper. Saucer Magnolia produces giant cup-shaped flowers up to 6 inches across, white on the inside and pinkish-purple on the outside. They bloom on bare branches in March before any leaves appear. A mature Saucer Magnolia in full bloom stops traffic.

It grows 15-33 feet tall and wide. Like Star Magnolia, the flowers are vulnerable to late frost. Plant it with wind protection and avoid low-lying frost pockets. This is the most popular flowering magnolia in the US for good reason. Zones 4-9. Budget $150-350.

Cherry blossom season (March through April)

Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis)

This is the cherry blossom tree. The 3,000 Yoshino Cherries around the Tidal Basin in Washington D.C. are responsible for the annual cherry blossom festival that draws a million visitors. The white flowers carry a faint almond scent and create a cloud-like canopy for 2-3 weeks.

Yoshino grows 30-40 feet tall with graceful horizontal branching. No edible fruit, no mess. It performs best in full sun with moist, well-drained soil. Zones 5-8. For a deep dive on cherry trees including where they thrive across the US, read our guide to where cherry trees grow best. Budget $150-300 for a 6-8 foot specimen.

Kwanzan Cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kanzan’)

Double the petals, double the show. Kwanzan produces deep pink double blooms with 20-30 petals each, about 2.5 inches across. It’s the showiest of the Japanese cherries and blooms 2-3 weeks after Yoshino, extending cherry season into late April.

The vase-shaped form grows 25-36 feet tall and wide. Like Yoshino, it’s fruitless. The wider zone range (5-9) makes it more adaptable to warmer climates. In NorCal, Kwanzan handles our heat better than Yoshino does. Budget $150-350.

Mid-spring stars (April through May)

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.)

Serviceberry is the four-season native tree that should be in more yards. White drooping flower clusters in early spring. Edible purple berries in June (called Juneberries). Brilliant red-orange fall color. Smooth silver-gray bark all winter. That’s year-round interest from a single tree.

Most species stay compact at 15-25 feet tall. It’s native to North America, excellent for pollinators, and a larval host plant for swallowtail butterflies. The berries taste like blueberries and are perfect for jams or eating straight off the tree.

The flowers are short-lived at about 10 days, but that’s true of most spring bloomers. For small yards, this is a top pick. See our best trees for small yards for more compact options. Zones 4-8. Budget $60-150.

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

The iconic mid-spring tree. What look like four white or pink petals are actually bracts surrounding tiny yellow true flowers in the center. The effect is stunning, especially when the bracts overlap to create a continuous canopy of white from a distance.

Dogwood grows 15-25 feet tall and prefers partial shade in hot climates. Give it morning sun and afternoon shade in zones 8-9. It needs acidic, well-drained soil (pH 5.5-6.6) and doesn’t tolerate drought or compacted clay.

The disease to know: dogwood anthracnose. It’s killed Flowering Dogwoods across the eastern US since the 1970s. For better disease resistance, consider Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa), which blooms in June with similar white bracts and has fewer pest problems. We wrote about an exceptional specimen in our Evergreen Dogwood article. Zones 5-9. Budget $100-250.

Flowering Crabapple (Malus hybrids)

The Morton Arboretum calls flowering crabapples “the most stunning spring-flowering trees for Midwest landscapes,” and that’s not an exaggeration. The range of sizes, flower colors, and forms is enormous. You can find everything from a 8-foot patio tree to a 30-foot shade tree.

Disease-resistant cultivars worth buying: ‘Prairifire’ (15 feet, pink-red flowers, outstanding disease resistance). ‘Spring Snow’ (fruitless white flowers, cold tolerant). ‘Sugar Tyme’ (white flowers, persistent small red fruit that feeds birds through winter). The small fruit on most crabapples attracts cedar waxwings, robins, and other songbirds.

Zones 4-8. The Sacramento Tree Foundation recommends Japanese Crabapple specifically for NorCal yards. Budget $80-250.

Late spring and the summer bridge (May through June)

Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus)

The native sleeper pick that deserves more attention. Fringe Tree produces showy, fragrant white panicles with fine-textured petals in late spring. The common name comes from those fringe-like petals. Also called “Old Man’s Beard” and “Grancy Greybeard” in the South.

This native tree grows about 20 feet tall and wide with extremely wide zone adaptability (3-9). Male flowers are showier than female. Bluish fruit on female trees attracts birds in fall. It’s tolerant of most soils and underused in residential landscapes. If you want something different from the usual cherry-dogwood-magnolia lineup, Fringe Tree is the answer. Budget $80-200.

Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus)

An understory gem. Japanese Snowbell produces white, waxy, bell-shaped flowers that hang downward from the branches in late spring. The pendant flowers are best viewed from below, making this an outstanding patio tree where you sit underneath and look up.

Grows 20-30 feet tall with elegant horizontal branching. It tolerates partial shade, prefers moist acidic soil, and is low-maintenance once established. The cultivar ‘Emerald Pagoda’ has larger flowers and leaves. Zones 5-8. Budget $100-250.

Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Crape Myrtle bridges the gap between spring bloomers and fall. When everything else is done flowering in June, Crape Myrtle kicks into gear and blooms from July through September. Pink, red, white, purple, or lavender flowers depending on cultivar.

Choose the right size cultivar instead of topping. ‘Natchez’ (white, 25+ feet) and ‘Muskogee’ (lavender, 20+ feet) are disease-resistant hybrids that don’t need topping if you pick the right size for the spot. For our complete guide on proper technique, read how to trim a crepe myrtle. Zones 7-9. Budget $30-150.

The one spring bloomer to skip

Bradford Pear: just say no

Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) and its most common cultivar ‘Bradford’ produce masses of white flowers in March and April. They look beautiful for about two weeks. Then the problems start.

Bradford Pear is invasive. Ohio banned it in 2023. South Carolina and Pennsylvania banned sales in 2024. Multiple other states are actively discouraging planting. NC State Extension documents how Callery Pear cross-pollinates with other Pyrus species to produce viable seeds spread by birds. The seedlings choke out native species across the eastern US.

Beyond the invasive issue: the branch structure is weak and prone to splitting in storms. The flowers smell terrible. The tree self-destructs within 15-20 years.

Plant Serviceberry, Redbud, or Crabapple instead. Same spring flower impact, none of the problems. For more trees to avoid, see our guide to trees you should never plant.

Which spring trees work in your zone?

Zones 3-4 (Upper Midwest, Northern Plains): Serviceberry, Crabapple, Star Magnolia. Skip cherries and crape myrtle.

Zones 5-6 (Midwest, Mid-Atlantic): Everything on this list works. This is the sweet spot for spring flowering trees.

Zones 7-8 (Southeast, Pacific NW): All species work well. Add Kwanzan Cherry and Crape Myrtle for extended season.

Zones 9-10 (California, Gulf Coast): Western Redbud (California native), Crape Myrtle, Saucer Magnolia. Many northern species like Yoshino Cherry need more chill hours than zone 9-10 provides. Check chill hour requirements before buying.

Planting and care basics

Plant spring flowering trees in fall (September-October) whenever possible. The tree faces less heat stress and establishes roots before winter growth. Early spring is second best. See our bare root planting guide for technique.

The single most important pruning rule: prune spring bloomers right after flowers fade. These trees set next year’s flower buds on this year’s growth. If you prune in fall or winter, you’re cutting off next spring’s flowers. For timing specifics, see when to trim your tree.

For a seasonal checklist on keeping your trees healthy through the year, including fertilizing spring bloomers, read our spring tree care tips. And for how flowering trees fit into a broader yard plan, this landscaping guide has useful ideas on combining trees with other plantings.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best spring flowering tree for a small yard? Serviceberry (15-25 feet), Star Magnolia (15-20 feet), or a compact Crabapple cultivar like ‘Prairifire’ (15 feet). All three flower heavily and stay manageable in tight spaces.

When do spring flowering trees bloom? It depends on species and zone. Star Magnolia can bloom as early as late February. Most peak in March-April. Crape Myrtle extends the show into July-September. Plant three species with staggered bloom times for continuous color.

Should I plant spring flowering trees in fall or spring? Fall planting is ideal. The tree establishes roots over winter without heat stress. Early spring (before bud break) is second best. Avoid planting in summer.

What spring flowering tree is best for pollinators? Eastern Redbud. It’s one of the first native trees to bloom each spring, providing nectar and pollen when bees need it most. Serviceberry is a close second and also feeds butterflies and songbirds.

Are Bradford pear trees invasive? Yes. Callery/Bradford Pear is banned or restricted in Ohio, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and other states. Plant Serviceberry, Redbud, or Crabapple instead.