Flowering trees yield great returns in these tough times

I feel fortunate to be a gardener and horticulturist now more than ever.

Whether you have a few containers, a small front yard or a large property, planting a tree will improve your outlook, give you something to look forward to (watching it grow and change with each season) and help improve air quality. Not only will you have immediate satisfaction, but you also will be making an investment in your future that won’t depend on the state of the economy.

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Erica Glasener/Special

Stewartia pseudocamellia buds turn into saucer-shaped blooms.

ERICA'S PICK
Ft. McNair buckeye
Botanical name: Aesculus x carnea 'Ft. McNair'
About the plant: This hybrid, a cross between Aesculus pavia and Aesculus hippocastanum, offers upright spikes of pink flowers with yellow throats and is more heat-tolerant than many of the species.
Use in the garden: Use this tree for a specimen or as part of a mixed border.
Planting and care: A moist, well-drained soil and full sun or part-shade.
Sources: McMahan's Nursery, 5727 Cleveland Highway, Clermont, 770-983-3666; Scottsdale Farms Garden Center, 15639 Birmingham Highway, Alpharetta, 770-777-5875

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As for timing, March is an ideal time to plant hardy trees, shrubs and perennials. The trees you select provide the framework for your garden. There are many excellent small- to medium-sized trees that bloom in spring or summer and offer beauty during the rest of the year, too.

Stewartia pseudocamellia, Japanese stewartia is an elegant tree that offers year-round beauty. Its distinctive buds open in summer to reveal white saucer-shaped flowers (somewhat like a camellia, this tree belongs to the camellia family). In autumn, the dark green foliage turns brilliant shades of red and orange, and in winter the bark is like a patchwork quilt of tan, brown and rust.

Last summer, when I visited the Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard, many of their stewartias were in bloom, including the tall stewartia, Stewartia monadelpha, Stewartia ovata and Stewartia pseudocamellia. It was hard to pick a favorite, as they were all beautiful. This planting of mature trees in various stages of bloom made for a dramatic scene.

In my own garden, I have had good success with tall stewartia, Stewartia monadelpha, one of the more heat-tolerant of the species. In summer, it offers small white flowers, and in winter the cinnamon-colored bark stands out especially against a backdrop of evergreens.

Other unusual trees to consider include the Japanese snowbell, Styrax japonicus, and Styrax obassia, the fragrant snowbell. Both offer white fragrant flowers in spring and rich green foliage. For something different, try the upright narrow form of the Chinese fringe tree, Chionanthus retusus ‘Tokyo Tower.’

Erica Glasener is an Atlanta horticulturist and host of HGTV’s “A Gardener’s Diary,” seen at 7 a.m. Thursdays.