Here is a weekly calender for 2007 of flowering trees and shrubs, sometimes termed woody ornamentals, from my own residential landscape in western MA.
What's in Bloom
May 2: Three of the four magnolias in my garden landscape are in full bloom. This spring, late season cold did not damage them.
- Magnolia stellata (Star Magnolia) - Magnoliacea (Magnolia Family) - white star-like flowers. The two that I have in my garden landscape are between 5 and 6-foot in height . Selected by a friend for their short stature, I also keep them well pruned.
- Magnolia Xloebneri (Loebner Magnolia) - a hybrid of M. stellata and M. kobus; probably the cultivar 'Merrill' which is a heavy and early flower producer like its Star Magnolia parent. I bought this from a reputable nursery labeled M. stellata after my dog distroyed the 3rd of what were originally 3 equal-size star magnolias. Unfortunately, this particular magnolia matures at about 50 feet and no amount of pruning keeps it short. This rather destroys my dooryard planting scheme!
- Magnolia Xsoulangiana (Saucer Magnolia) - a hybrid of M. heptapeta (M. denudata) and M. quinquepeta (M. liliflora) which matures at about 30 to 40-feet. Flowers are a a light pink and defenitely saucer-shaped. This particular magnolia is planted where it has enough space to grow in all its glory. It shelters a successful woodland-type microclimate.
April 25: Spring was slow in arriving here in my garden landscape. Weather patterns were erratic; April 15 - 19 brought snow, much rain and cold temperatures. (40s / 30s); April 20 - 24 brought sun, some clouds and unseasonally high temperatures (70-80s / 30s); today promises more normal temperatures (50s-60s / 30s) and some rain. Hopefully, the lower temperatures forecast for the rest of the week will keep the flowers blooming instead of shriveling from the heat.
- Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry) - Cornaceae (Dogwood Family) - bright yellow flowers are the first to appear;
- Abeliophyllum distichum (Korean Abelelialeaf, or erroneously White Forsythia) - Oleaceae (Olive Family) - flowers are usually white, mine is an unnamed cultivar which has uniformly pink flowers and a musky fragrance that becomes heavy after nightfall;
- Forsythia suspensa (Weeping Forsythia) - Oleaceae (Olive Family) - is the last of these three to appear; possibly the variety atrocaulis which has dark purple young stems and emerging leaves, and rich brown older stems; pale yellow flowers.
All of these make a super background for the earliest daffodils:
- tiny 'February Gold' and
- large 'Ice Follies,'
and the "minor bulbs":
- Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop),
- Scilla siberica (Scilla),
- Chionodoxa forbesii (Glory-of-the-Snow) with bright blue flowers and Chionodoxa forbesii 'Pink Giant' (Pink Glory-of-the-Snow),
- various cultivars of Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) and
- various cultivars of Crocus.
My Helleborus plants fared badly because of the topsy-turvy weather and my forgetting to cover them with peach baskets last autum.
My favorite catalogs for woody ornamentals are:
- Song Sparrow Nursery - the pictures are wonderful, and
- Forest Farm - the listings are so extensive.
My favorite bulb catalogs are:
McClure and Zimmerman - the line drawings are exquisite and the inventory is comprehensive,
Brent and Becky's Bulbs - a family owned business in VA with an extensive inventory, and
Scheepers Beauty from Bulbs - slightly more expensive than some retailers, but their bulbs are huge and grow magnificently.
