Beautiful blooms of fresh flowers aren't just limited to spring. There are many trees that thrive in our climate and produce the most colorful blooms around throughout the year. At Moon Valley Nurseries, we carry a broad range of flowering trees that are perfect for any desert, tropical, water-wise, or Mediterranean landscape, and if you're looking for some design ideas and inspiration for adding these trees to your yard, our designers are happy to help!
If you're looking to turn some heads this spring and summer, check out our favorite flowering trees below!
The Crape Myrtle has something to offer for every season but stands out in late spring to summer when it begins producing stunning blooms of purple, pink, red, and white flowers that are pleasing to the eye when planted in clusters or accent locations. The Crape Myrtle is known for its long and constant bloom cycle and works well in just about any landscape. In the fall, the Crape Myrtle’s foliage turns to a showy bright orange.
One of our favorite flowering trees, the Jacaranda is known for its breathtaking and picturesque blooms of vibrant purple flowers and unique fern-like foliage which makes them adaptable to many landscape designs from desert to tropical. The Jacaranda’s canopy is layered, giving it a “light” look in your landscape while also providing much-needed shade where it is desired. Though soft-looking in appearance, Jacarandas are very hardy trees that love and thrive in the warmer months of the year.
Both a flowering tree and an ornamental tree, the Magnolia is sure to turn heads in any landscape. Its large spoon-shaped leaves provide a thick canopy of shade and produce magnificent large, billowing white blossoms that have a fragrant smell to them. They prosper in many conditions, and there is very little maintenance with this tree. It is loved for its year-round foliage and ability to look fantastic in many different landscapes.
This water-wise, semi-evergreen has become a popular choice in the Western U.S. for its rapid growth rate and eye-catching apricot yellow flowers during the summer. In just a few years, the Tipu can reach great heights quickly creating a massive canopy of shade for your home, patio, backyard playground, or to protect the other plants in your yard from the summer sun. This tree requires little maintenance and it performs well in many soil and drought-like conditions.
This multi-trunk tree is known for its breathtaking displays of purple blooms on long spikes that jet out at every growth tip during the late spring into summer. The Vitex’s twisting trunks under the bright flowering canopy give this tree a unique, grand appearance. Its canopy is large and layered, which allows sunlight to penetrate the ground below. The Vitex requires minimal water and little maintenance while its blooms attract many pollinating insects and hummingbirds.
When this tree blooms, it blooms! Vibrant yellow flowers cover this entire tree in early summer with blooms through the fall. It creates a massive canopy of layered shade, so you can plant ground covers or grass around the trunk. A popular choice for people looking to decrease their water usage. Low maintenance and easy to grow with a bright green thornless trunk.
Named for its resemblance to Willow trees, the Desert Willow is not a Willow at all and is related to the Catalpa tree. This water-wise and drought-tolerant tree produces magnificent blooms of exotic trumpet-shaped purple flowers that look fantastic when planted in accent locations. The Desert Willow has an airy canopy and is visually appealing in many landscape styles.
Displaying red, tropical, bottlebrush-shaped blooms, the Bottlebrush tree loves our climate, is drought tolerant, and is hardy to heat and cold. Its bright red flowers make it a fantastic focal point to any landscape and are a must-have for our customers seeking a tropical-themed landscape. Additionally, the Bottlebrush Tree can handle high winds with its strong trunk and can grow to a medium to large height creating a shade screen for sun relief.
These trees love the hot summer months, which makes them an ideal flowering tree for any landscape. The Oleander tree displays a long-lasting bloom cycle that comes in clumps of red, white, and pink. The blooms are vibrant and may extend into the milder winter months. Ideally planted in groups or rows, the Oleander is a great evergreen tree for homeowners who are seeking privacy hedges, area screens, and property borders because of these trees' ability to keep a thick coat of dark green leaves throughout the year.
This drought-tolerant Sonoran native is well known for its beautiful and aromatic orange powder puff flowers throughout the summer. The dark green foliage, dark-colored trunk, and minimal space requirements make this tree stand out in any landscape. The Sweet Acacia produces great shade where desired and it performs well in full sunlight.
Planting now will give your new flowering trees an excellent opportunity to hit the ground running with beautiful blooms in the summer. If you have any questions regarding the proper care of any of these beautiful trees, be sure to contact one of our nursery pros at any of our Moon Valley Nursery locations. For advice on where to plant these gorgeous trees in your yard, feel free to reach out to our professional landscape designers for a free design consultation!