Trees with Pink and Purple Flowers: 16 Showstoppers for Every Zone
Pink and purple flowering trees are the ones that make people pull over and take photos. A street lined with cherry blossoms in April stops traffic. A jacaranda dropping purple petals on a sidewalk in June looks like something from a painting. These are the trees you plant for the show.
Most pink and purple flowering trees bloom in spring, but you can extend the color from March through September by choosing species with staggered bloom times. Here are 16 worth planting, organized by when they flower.
Early spring bloomers (March-April)
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
The first splash of color in spring. Magenta-pink flowers appear directly on bare branches and even the trunk in early to mid-April. The effect is electric against a gray late-winter sky. Heart-shaped leaves follow, turning yellow in fall.
- Zones: 4-9
- Mature size: 20-30 feet tall and wide
- Bloom color: Magenta-pink
- Bloom time: Early to mid-April (2-3 weeks)
- Growth rate: Medium (12-18 inches/year)
Best cultivars: ‘Forest Pansy’ has purple leaves all season. ‘Rising Sun’ has peach, gold, and green new growth. ‘Ruby Falls’ is a weeping form with purple leaves. The species is native across the eastern US and attracts early pollinators.
Redbud is one of the best ornamental trees for small to medium yards. Pair it with white-flowering dogwoods for a classic spring combination.
Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana)
Enormous pink-and-white tulip-shaped flowers, 5-10 inches across, on bare branches. When a saucer magnolia blooms, nothing else in the yard competes. The flowers appear before leaves in late March to early April.
- Zones: 4-9
- Mature size: 20-30 feet tall and wide
- Bloom color: Pink and white (bicolor)
- Bloom time: Late March to early April (2 weeks)
- Risk: Late frosts destroy the buds in some years. In zone 5, this happens every 2-3 years. Plant in a sheltered spot.
Okame Cherry (Prunus x ‘Okame’)
One of the earliest cherries to bloom. Deep pink flowers appear in mid-March, weeks before Japanese cherries. A small, tidy tree that works in tight spaces. Often the first tree to signal spring in the neighborhood.
- Zones: 6-9
- Mature size: 20-30 feet tall, 15-25 feet wide
- Bloom color: Deep pink
- Bloom time: Mid-March (2 weeks)
- Fall color: Orange-red
Mid-spring bloomers (April-May)
Kwanzan Cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’)
Double pink flowers so full they look like pom-poms. Kwanzan is the showiest of the Japanese flowering cherries, with clusters of 30+ petals per flower. The blooms last 2-3 weeks in mid to late April. No fruit (the double flowers are sterile), which means no mess.
- Zones: 5-9
- Mature size: 25-35 feet tall, 25-35 feet wide
- Bloom color: Deep pink, double flowers
- Bloom time: Mid to late April (2-3 weeks)
- Lifespan: 15-25 years (shorter than most shade trees)
Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis)
The cherry of the Washington DC Tidal Basin. Soft pink to white flowers open in early to mid-April in massive clouds. Less showy per-flower than Kwanzan but the overall effect is stunning because the entire canopy blooms simultaneously.
- Zones: 5-8
- Mature size: 25-35 feet tall, 25-40 feet wide
- Bloom color: Pale pink fading to white
- Bloom time: Early to mid-April (1-2 weeks)
- Growth rate: Fast (2-3 feet/year)
Pink Dogwood (Cornus florida var. rubra)
Native flowering dogwood with pink to rose-colored bracts (the showy parts are actually modified leaves, not petals). Blooms in late April to May alongside the white-flowering species. Understory tree that thrives in partial shade.
- Zones: 5-8
- Mature size: 15-25 feet tall and wide
- Bloom color: Pink to rose
- Bloom time: Late April to May (2-3 weeks)
- Fall color: Red to purple
- Disease concern: Susceptible to dogwood anthracnose in the Northeast. Kousa dogwoods are more resistant.
Flowering Crabapple (Malus cultivars)
Modern crabapple cultivars produce masses of pink to reddish-pink flowers with excellent disease resistance. Persistent fruit feeds winter birds. The best cultivars are nothing like the scab-prone, messy crabapples of 30 years ago.
- Zones: 4-8
- Mature size: 15-25 feet (varies by cultivar)
- Bloom color: Pink to deep pink (varies)
- Best pink cultivars: ‘Prairifire’ (deep pink, maroon fruit), ‘Robinson’ (deep pink), ‘Louisa’ (pink, weeping form)
For more on flowering trees and spring-flowering species, we have dedicated guides.
Late spring to early summer bloomers (May-June)
Royal Empress Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)
Clusters of fragrant lavender-purple trumpet flowers in May before leaves emerge. Each cluster holds 20-30 flowers. The fragrance carries for yards. Fast-growing and dramatic.
- Zones: 5-9
- Mature size: 30-50 feet tall and wide
- Bloom color: Lavender-purple
- Bloom time: May (2-3 weeks)
- Growth rate: Very fast (5+ feet/year)
- Warning: Invasive in the southeastern US. Check your state’s invasive species list. Banned or restricted in some areas. Beautiful but problematic in the wrong location.
Purple Robe Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Purple Robe’)
Hanging clusters of deep pink to purple fragrant flowers in late May. An improved black locust cultivar with showier flowers and fewer thorns. Tough, drought-tolerant, and fast-growing. Fixes nitrogen in the soil.
- Zones: 4-8
- Mature size: 30-50 feet tall, 25-35 feet wide
- Bloom color: Deep pink to purple
- Bloom time: Late May (2 weeks)
- Pros: Drought tolerant, fixes nitrogen, fast growth
- Cons: Brittle wood, suckering can be aggressive, messy seed pods
Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)
Orchid-like flowers in pink, purple, or burgundy from May through September. One of the longest bloom periods of any flowering tree. Native to desert washes of the Southwest. Extremely drought-tolerant.
- Zones: 7-11
- Mature size: 15-25 feet tall, 10-15 feet wide
- Bloom color: Pink, purple, burgundy, white (varies by cultivar)
- Bloom time: May through September (months of bloom!)
- Water needs: Very low once established
Summer bloomers (June-September)
Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia)
The iconic purple-flowering tree of Southern California, Florida, and other warm climates. Massive clusters of lavender-blue to purple trumpet flowers in May through June. The fallen petals carpet the ground in purple. One of the most photographed trees in the world.
- Zones: 9-11
- Mature size: 25-50 feet tall, 30-50 feet wide
- Bloom color: Lavender-blue to purple
- Bloom time: May to June (4-6 weeks)
- Growth rate: Fast
- Caveat: Only for frost-free climates. Temperatures below 25F will kill young trees.
Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
The summer workhorse. Blooms continuously from June through September in pink, magenta, red, purple, or white. Exfoliating bark for winter interest. The most reliable summer-flowering tree for zones 7-9, with newer hardy cultivars pushing into zone 6.
- Zones: 7-9 (some cultivars to zone 6)
- Mature size: 10-25 feet (varies by cultivar)
- Bloom color: Every shade of pink, plus purple, red, and white
- Bloom time: June through September (3+ months)
- Best pink cultivars: ‘Muskogee’ (lavender-pink, large), ‘Sioux’ (hot pink, medium), ‘Tuscarora’ (coral-pink, large)
- Best purple: ‘Catawba’ (true purple, medium), ‘Purple Magic’ (deep purple)
Don’t commit the cardinal sin of “crape murder” (topping the tree into ugly stubs). Proper pruning technique is in our crape myrtle trimming guide.
Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Spikes of violet-blue to lavender flowers from June through August on a small, multi-stemmed tree. Fragrant foliage. Heat and drought tolerant. A great substitute for lilac in hot climates where lilacs won’t grow.
- Zones: 6-9
- Mature size: 10-20 feet tall and wide
- Bloom color: Violet-blue to lavender
- Bloom time: June through August
- Best feature: Blooms on new wood, so even if winter kills it back, it flowers the same year
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Large, tropical-looking flowers in pink, purple, blue, or white from July through September. Technically a large shrub or small tree. Handles heat, humidity, and poor soil. ‘Aphrodite’ (deep pink) and ‘Minerva’ (lavender-pink) are popular cultivars.
- Zones: 5-9
- Mature size: 8-12 feet tall, 6-10 feet wide
- Bloom color: Pink, purple, blue, white
- Bloom time: July through September
- Caveat: Self-seeds aggressively. Choose seedless cultivars like ‘Diana’ or ‘Sugar Tip’ to avoid weed problems.
Pink Trumpet Tree (Handroanthus impetiginosus)
Spectacular clusters of bright pink trumpet flowers in spring on bare branches. The show lasts only 1-2 weeks but it’s stop-in-your-tracks gorgeous. Limited to frost-free zones but widely planted in Florida, Southern California, and Hawaii.
- Zones: 10-11
- Mature size: 25-35 feet tall
- Bloom color: Bright pink
- Bloom time: March to April (1-2 weeks)
Planning a year-round pink and purple display
| Bloom period | Species |
|---|---|
| March | Okame cherry, saucer magnolia |
| April | Kwanzan cherry, Yoshino cherry, redbud |
| Late April-May | Pink dogwood, crabapple, Royal Empress |
| May-June | Jacaranda, desert willow, Purple Robe locust |
| June-September | Crape myrtle, chaste tree |
| July-September | Rose of Sharon |
Plant three or four species with staggered bloom times and you’ll have pink or purple flowers in view from March through September.
Choosing by zone
Cold climates (Zones 4-5): Eastern redbud, saucer magnolia, crabapple, Purple Robe locust, Rose of Sharon
Moderate climates (Zones 6-7): All of the above plus crape myrtle, chaste tree, Kwanzan cherry
Warm climates (Zones 8-9): Crape myrtle, desert willow, chaste tree, redbud, cherry varieties
Frost-free (Zones 10-11): Jacaranda, pink trumpet tree, desert willow, Royal Poinciana
For the full picture of what’s available in flowering trees beyond pink and purple, see our complete flowering trees guide and spring flowering trees overview. And for tips on showcasing your flowering trees in the front yard, check mklibrary.com’s curb appeal guide.