Archive for the ‘Trees Gardening’ Category
Home gardens can be hard work but for many it is a great hobby that gives you many rewards. Gardening is the most popular hobby in this country. It helps you to relax and many say it is very therapeutic. Look at it this way, you are outside in the fresh air and you are working on a project that helps to relieve stress and worry. It is also a great way to work out without having to get in your car and go to the gym. Think of the hours of enjoyment you will get when your hard work turns into gorgeous, lush gardens. Along with the enormous enjoyment you will get from your garden, you will also reap the harvest of any fruit trees and enjoy that too. There are a few garden tips that you should follow that will reward you with a beautiful home garden for you and your friends to enjoy.
There are some home gardening tips to keep in mind when shopping for new trees or shrubs. Usually, when you purchase and plant trees and shrubs they are very small. The gardener comes home and plants under a window or near the house. These plants will start to grow and can cause some tricky problems. This is a mistake to avoid. As the plants grow, so do their root systems. If planted to close to the house they could do harm to your foundation, sewer or water lines. Not only can they cause damage to these things but then it will be necessary to pay to have the tree or shrub removed. When planting shrubs around your house they may grow tall enough to block out sunlight or be a detriment to your landscaping scheme. To avoid this trouble in your home garden, find out exactly how tall and wide the shrubs and trees will be at maturity, a very important tip. Remember, never plant a tree too close to your house. The roots could cause very costly damages and you would have to have the tree taken out.
To encourage new spring growth, prune your shrubs in the fall to allow air flow. Until the shrub or tree is established you must water them liberally. Proper watering of your trees or shrubs is essential if you want them to survive and in some cases to keep the guarantee valid. Lawn sprinkler irrigation is generally inadequate for watering these new plants. Trees and shrubs must have a deeper, soaking watering of the root ball. Moist but not “sloppy wet” is the rule. The recommended watering schedule when your trees and shrubs are first planted is as follows:
Days 1-30 – Everyday
Days 31 â?? 60 Every other day
Days 61 & following â?? At least twice per week
Plants that you have watered well survive far better during the cold months than plants starting winter without enough water. Depending on your zone, it is best to plant trees and shrubs in the fall, never in the summer. Take care of your home gardens and you will have years of enjoyment adding texture and beauty to your home and yard.
Happy Gardening!
Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.
This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
Mary Hanna is an aspiring herbalist who lives in Central Florida. This allows her to grow gardens inside and outside year round. She has published other articles on Cruising, Gardening and Cooking. Visit her websites at Gardening Landscaping Tips and Gardening Outside and Herb Gardening
Gardening can be a fun and relaxing hobby but if you have to constantly be worried about garden pests damaging your plants became soon turned into a source of stress.
Dumping harsh chemicals on your plants is not good for you or the environment but luckily there is a better way. You can encourage natural predators into your garden that will soon eliminate these pesky pests. These natural creatures can live in harmony in your garden where they will eat the pests that are harming your plants.
Here are some natural predators and how you might encourage them to take up residence in your garden.
Frogs
What would a garden be without some frogs and toads? They are likely attracted to your garden as it is, but you can add a few elements to attract even more of them. Since frogs and toads love water you might think of installing a garden pond, or at the very least a small water feature low to the ground that they can breed in. They will thank you by helping to control small insects and slugs.
Lady Bugs
Ladybugs love to eat aphids so you want to attract as many of them as you can into your garden. You probably recognize them as an adult with a red and black dotted shells but you might not easily recognize the lava which is gray in color with orange dots. Don’t mistake the larva for a past as these lover can chow down more aphids than the adults. Ladybugs like Cosmos, scented geraniums and even dandelions so be sure to have plenty of those in your garden.
Ground Beetles
Ground beetles like to make their home under stones or leaf covers and sleep all day coming out at night to feed on garden pests. They have quite an appetite Emil Chow down slugs, snails, cutworms and leather jackets and the lava or egg stage. Some will even climb up in the trees to get a good meal and can eat gypsy moth and tent caterpillars. you can encourage these as you garden are providing permanent plantings for them to live under, loose leaf cover or small stones.
Birds
Who doesn’t want birds in their garden? While these might be considered pests for some vegetables they can also read your garden of pests such as caterpillars, grubbs, slugs and aphids which they feed on. have a little bird bath in your garden as well as some nesting boxes to encourage birds into the garden where they might see a tasty grub they might want to feast on.
Lacewings
Lacewings, or the larva of lace wings feed on aphids and small soft bodied pests. To attract bees, make sure you have a water source and plant lots of nectar and pollen flowers as they like to lay their eggs underneath the leaves of these plants.
With a little bit of strategic planning, you can attract these predators into your garden which will not only help control the pests but will also add interest to the garden. Plus, it’s a lot more fun to plant particular flowers and put out sources of water to attract birds, beetles and frogs into your garden than it is to drag out the sprayer hose and douse your garden with chemicals! Not only will you be getting rid of pests on your plants, you’ll also be providing a food source for the predators and keeping the environment free of chemicals!
I always enjoyed gardening, for many reasons, even though by profession is in manufacturing industry. First off, it certainly offers a stress relieving experience, usually gets quick results, and offers a rewarding sense of satisfaction, regardless of your occupation.
I thought I would offer a 5 step guideline for gardening success. These are simple to follow, and helpful, saving time, energy, money, and a long learning curve. Its funny , but from an industrial background, no matter what is being made, many of the same general principles are applied for gardening success.
Basically it is a step by step process of principles, used over and over leading to success. Once you are at this level, it all comes natural, relaxing and of course rewarding.
Now,these following steps are from pure experience, and I may refer to some very extreme, unusual , but real case examples, since my wife grows some very unique and challenging items.
Since we live in the tropics, simply endless challenges to be honest. So bare with me if I make reference to these unusual things .
Step 1. The first thing before moving forward on what to plant, is to look into the area, climate, weather and seasons. Here in the tropics we have 3 seasons, not 4 like in the states; I like to refer to them as hot, hotter, and rainy. Plan on making a stop at your local nursery. The nursery will be able to make good knowledgeable suggestions on what works best.
I might add, at this point, you have already given some thought to what you desire to plant, vegetables, fruit, flowers, etc., so at least a category is narrowed down.
Step 2. Now, from the nursery, they have probably made some suggestions , to grow from seed; for example my wife grows Cheyenne Peppers from seeds; or by a graft , say Roses, or Grapes. She also grows seedless Grapes from a graft, and that is extremely difficult in the tropics . I will touch on this topic in my next article that does in fact take two green thumbs, and requires 7 steps. I enjoy the nurseries here, because they receive very good feedback from the locals, simply what works, what does not work, problems encountered, and of course you are speaking with experts.
Step 3. I wanted to make some suggestions should you decide on starting with seeds. I want to emphasize how important this decision is, since this can result in a waste of time, attempting to plant many types of seeds, and failing. Now, the nursery people should help a lot, but this is a very important decision. If you decide on seeds, first, I have many seed companies around here, that export, so I have experienced how different the same plant may be from each seed type, as they may be altered, hybrids, etc.
Here is a simple fact to remember; On the seed package, backside, they list some statistics. What this states is really a probability of seeds germinating from this package. Now Cantaloupes here have 10 seeds per package and state 8 have a chance of growing. I have seen other melon types stating 6. So, simply speaking this will help you with step 2 decision.
Step 4. Soil preparation is most critical . It always seems simple, but can lead to disappointment. Here is a great secret I want to share. What is the PH level of the area you would like to plant. Again a lot depends on what you plant, sensitivity, etc. Now here is a great tool, and once you read these 5 simple steps, you may consider this one before step one, and here is why. Go to the nursery, ask for a PH meter, they are plastic round as a golf ball sized meter, with about a 6 inch metal rod coming out, and pointed at the end.
Now these tools are not expensive anymore. Take your meter home look at the zone to be planted, wipe off the tip carefully as this is very sensitive, follow the instructions, push into the soil and take some readings
Make a map, write down the numbers. Actually, now you are the expert, imagine telling the nursery what the PH levels are in the plant zone area. This will give you an advantage, as they can help adjust to the PH to plant requirement, or save you money, since you already have the correct PH, so hows that, you are now an expert in 5 simple steps. All this says is high or low acidity in the soil. Plants have their own preference.
Step 5. Now, certainly this is the final step, but really requires attention to detail, time and patience as you will wait through the growing cycle to get the best results, and truly earn that green thumb award. Step 5 will require the correct planting method, how deep the seeds, how much water, food, care and maintenance details are involved. Again, the nursery can get you through these details to make you successful. Some of you , or most probably have experience with green houses. And how fast you can get results. In the tropics, its not called farming, its a science. In my life, I have never seen things grow so fast, even within a green house. The fastest plant to record is a type of Bamboo, growing at 18 inches in one day. Well, we do not see that speed, but my point is, my wife has to watch everyday. Pepper plants can grow, 3 inches tall in one day, grape trees from planting at day one, are overhead, with grapes hanging in 10 months, imagine all the problems that may occur with such a rapid growth rate. Again, attention to detail, will in fact get the results you deserve, and that green thumb.
Enjoy, your garden, plants, flowers, whatever you desire to grow, and learn from each experience, which is truly rewarding.
Landscape gardening has often been likened to the painting of a picture. Your art-work teacher has doubtless told you that a good picture should have a point of chief interest, and the rest of the points simply go to make more beautiful the central idea, or to form a fine setting for it. So in landscape gardening there must be in the gardener’s mind a picture of what he desires the whole to be when he completes his work.
From this study we shall be able to work out a little theory of landscape gardening.
Let us go to the lawn. A good extent of open lawn space is always beautiful. It is restful. It adds a feeling of space to even small grounds. So we might generalize and say that it is well to keep open lawn spaces. If one covers his lawn space with many trees, with little flower beds here and there, the general effect is choppy and fussy. It is a bit like an over-dressed person. One’s grounds lose all individuality thus treated. A single tree or a small group is not a bad arrangement on the lawn. Do not centre the tree or trees. Let them drop a bit into the background. Make a pleasing side feature of them. In choosing trees one must keep in mind a number of things. You should not choose an overpowering tree; the tree should be one of good shape, with something interesting about its bark, leaves, flowers or fruit. While the poplar is a rapid grower, it sheds its leaves early and so is left standing, bare and ugly, before the fall is old. Mind you, there are places where a row or double row of Lombardy poplars is very effective. But I think you’ll agree with me that one lone poplar is not. The catalpa is quite lovely by itself. Its leaves are broad, its flowers attractive, the seed pods which cling to the tree until away into the winter, add a bit of picture squeness. The bright berries of the ash, the brilliant foliage of the sugar maple, the blossoms of the tulip tree, the bark of the white birch, and the leaves of the copper beech all these are beauty points to consider.
Place makes a difference in the selection of a tree. Suppose the lower portion of the grounds is a bit low and moist, then the spot is ideal for a willow. Don’t group trees together which look awkward. A long-looking poplar does not go with a nice rather rounded little tulip tree. A juniper, so neat and prim, would look silly beside a spreading chestnut. One must keep proportion and suitability in mind.
I’d never advise the planting of a group of evergreens close to a house, and in the front yard. The effect is very gloomy indeed. Houses thus surrounded are overcapped by such trees and are not only gloomy to live in, but truly unhealthful. The chief requisite inside a house is sunlight and plenty of it.
As trees are chosen because of certain good points, so shrubs should be. In a clump I should wish some which bloomed early, some which bloomed late, some for the beauty of their fall foliage, some for the colour of their bark and others for the fruit. Some spireas and the forsythia bloom early. The red bark of the dogwood makes a bit of colour all winter, and the red berries of the barberry cling to the shrub well into the winter.
Certain shrubs are good to use for hedge purposes. A hedge is rather prettier usually than a fence. The Californian privet is excellent for this purpose. Osage orange, Japan barberry, buckthorn, Japan quince, and Van Houtte’s spirea are other shrubs which make good hedges.
I forgot to say that in tree and shrub selection it is usually better to choose those of the locality one lives in. Unusual and foreign plants do less well, and often harmonize but poorly with their new setting.
Landscape gardening may follow along very formal lines or along informal lines. The first would have straight paths, straight rows in stiff beds, everything, as the name tells, perfectly formal. The other method is, of course, the exact opposite. There are danger points in each.
The formal arrangement is likely to look too stiff; the informal, too fussy, too wiggly. As far as paths go, keep this in mind, that a path should always lead somewhere. That is its business to direct one to a definite place. Now, straight, even paths are not unpleasing if the effect is to be that of a formal garden. The danger in the curved path is an abrupt curve, a whirligig effect. It is far better for you to stick to straight paths unless you can make a really beautiful curve. No one can tell you how to do this.
Garden paths may be of gravel, of dirt, or of grass. One sees grass paths in some very lovely gardens. I doubt, however, if they would serve as well in your small gardens. Your garden areas are so limited that they should be re-spaded each season, and the grass paths are a great bother in this work. Of course, a gravel path makes a fine appearance, but again you may not have gravel at your command. It is possible for any of you to dig out the path for two feet. Then put in six inches of stone or clinker. Over this, pack in the dirt, rounding it slightly toward the centre of the path. There should never be depressions through the central part of paths, since these form convenient places for water to stand. The under layer of stone makes a natural drainage system.
A building often needs the help of vines or flowers or both to tie it to the grounds in such a way as to form a harmonious whole. Vines lend themselves well to this work. It is better to plant a perennial vine, and so let it form a permanent part of your landscape scheme. The Virginia creeper, wistaria, honeysuckle, a climbing rose, the clematis and trumpet vine are all most satisfactory.
close your eyes and picture a house of natural colour, that mellow gray of the weathered shingles. Now add to this old house a purple wistaria. Can you see the beauty of it? I shall not forget soon a rather ugly corner of my childhood home, where the dining room and kitchen met. Just there climbing over, and falling over a trellis was a trumpet vine. It made beautiful an awkward angle, an ugly bit of carpenter work.
Of course, the morning-glory is an annual vine, as is the moon-vine and wild cucumber. Now, these have their special function. For often, it is necessary to cover an ugly thing for just a time, until the better things and better times come. The annual is ‘the chap’ for this work.
Along an old fence a hop vine is a thing of beauty. One might try to rival the woods’ landscape work. For often one sees festooned from one rotted tree to another the ampelopsis vine.
Flowers may well go along the side of the building, or bordering a walk. In general, though, keep the front lawn space open and unbroken by beds. What lovelier in early spring than a bed of daffodils close to the house? Hyacinths and tulips, too, form a blaze of glory. These are little or no bother, and start the spring aright. One may make of some bulbs an exception to the rule of unbroken front lawn. Snowdrops and crocuses planted through the lawn are beautiful. They do not disturb the general effect, but just blend with the whole. One expert bulb gardener says to take a basketful of bulbs in the fall, walk about your grounds, and just drop bulbs out here and there. Wherever the bulbs drop, plant them. Such small bulbs as those we plant in lawns should be in groups of four to six. Daffodils may be thus planted, too. You all remember the grape hyacinths that grow all through Katharine’s side yard.
The place for a flower garden is generally at the side or rear of the house. The backyard garden is a lovely idea, is it not? Who wishes to leave a beautiful looking front yard, turn the corner of a house, and find a dump heap? Not I. The flower garden may be laid out formally in neat little beds, or it may be more of a careless, hit-or-miss sort. Both have their good points. Great masses of bloom are attractive.
You should have in mind some notion of the blending of colour. Nature appears not to consider this at all, and still gets wondrous effects. This is because of the tremendous amount of her perfect background of green, and the limitlessness of her space, while we are confined at the best to relatively small areas. So we should endeavour not to blind people’s eyes with clashes of colours which do not at close range blend well. In order to break up extremes of colours you can always use masses of white flowers, or something like mignonette, which is in effect green.
Finally, let us sum up our landscape lesson. The grounds are a setting for the house or buildings. Open, free lawn spaces, a tree or a proper group well placed, flowers which do not clutter up the front yard, groups of shrubbery these are points to be remembered. The paths should lead somewhere, and be either straight or well curved. If one starts with a formal garden, one should not mix the informal with it before the work is done.
Advertising various products on television successfully involves the consideration of several art forms. The most common advertising on TV involves the production of 30 second commercials, the 15 second commercials or other longer or shorter timed spots. With eye catching, interesting 30 second spots that are well thought out and developed, the targeted advertisement can create dramatic increases in sales results. Sometimes customers will show up at the front door of an advertising nursery business, only a few minutes after the the ad runs, that is, as fast as the viewer of the ad can drive to the business location. The quickness of the response will depend on how urgently the targeted customer feels compelled to rush out and decide whether or not to buy the product advertised. A customer may feel that a low priced sale product is a good buy, so there is an immediate impulse to purchase this product now, before a potentially limited inventory is sold out and no longer available.
Most sales resulting from TV ads are not sudden but occur only by the repetition of the ads, over and over. The repeated showing of TV ads reminds potential customers that the product can be conveniently purchased now, and thus, the ad may subconsciously create an impulsive need to buy that item in the mind-set of a potential customer. There is no question that the advertising works and has been dynamic and consistent in the success of participating business. Magazines, Newspapers, and the Internet, pay-per-click advertisers all have harvested the abundant rewards of presenting thoughtful advertising campaigns before the eyes and ears of the public. A plant nursery may find that it cannot generate enough income from hometown friends that will favorably allow his business expenses to support a profitable operation, enough to remain in business. If that plant nursery can draw in enough customers from a major trading area (100 miles), the plant nursery may attract an astounding amount of buyers of drive-in trade. The outcome of a TV advertising campaign depends on many factors.
Thirty years ago regional advertising was done primarily by showing static pictures of a nursery storefront in a 30 second ad that was accompanied by a background, announcers voice that promoted general nursery products offered by the advertiser. Early morning ads are less viewed, and the ads can be an inexpensive $50.00 each, whereas, soap opera TV and evening news reports draw thousands the TV screens, and the ads may cost hundreds of dollars each for a 30 second advertising exposure. Weekend advertising rates often can be one-half or less, in cost, than Monday through Friday advertising. Many TV stations will not generally take ad accounts unless the nursery budget allows, and contracts are enforced to spend at least $500 per week. Very often the nursery business sales will build up gradually with effective ad spots, week after week, with Saturday sale receipts dominating——primarily, because gardening is a busy activity planned by home gardeners for weekends. Buyers of nursery plants leave their weekday offices to buy trees flowers and shrubs on Saturday that can be planted during the weekend. Growing plants relaxes office workers and provides recreational relaxation and a personal planting opportunity to harvest fruit, berry and grape treat-rewards, unlike an impersonal signed office check from his employer for the office duties performed.
Some TV stations will offer to a consistent and valuable advertiser, a bonus story on news programs such as interviewing a nursery owner with such questions as: What is the best time to plant apple trees? What is the best variety of fig tree for planting in my area that will survive freezes? These bonus news interviews are often overwhelming in producing customer buyers and huge sales, if the informational news coverage is supplemented with frequent 30 second nursery plant ads.
For the most profound TV influence on garden buyers the TV station representative will outline to the advertiser certain age groups or income brackets of customers to target for maximum sales. For plant and nursery TV sales success, an advertiser will be directed to the weather reports that will target farmers and gardeners whose interests are strongly aligned with environmental changes in the weather, that directly contribute to planting outcomes. Some early morning weather reports offer small audiences, but the low cost of the ads may attract enough customers to make TV advertising rewarding for plant nursery operations.
A very important question on whether or not to advertise plants on TV is how many competitors are advertising similar plant products? If a total plant market is viewed on TV as a pie, the pie is only so large and the advertiser must retrieve a large enough market share or else the TV advertising may not be profitable to continue. Advertising low sales prices on common plants, such as flowering dogwood trees or grapevines, will lure in customers to buy low profit, marginal plants, but usually they will buy much more, thus, making sales profitable and advisable to continue running low price sales on TV .
An important consideration in using TV advertising is the realization that such businesses as automobile dealers may sell a car, as a result of advertising, that nets $30,000, so that such a high ticket item generates huge amounts of income to finance their TV advertising campaigns. A nursery owner can usually not hope to compete on high traffic programs such as nightly news programs with the idea of seeing an advertised item that might only generate $20 in sales against the strongly financed automobile dealers, unless the TV station understands the burden that a nursery operator faces. Sometimes TV management, for one reason or another, will offer the nursery advertiser a price handicap that makes sense.
For advertising on TV a 30 second commercial, a business must give a message that includes the products offered for sale, the location and name of the business being advertised and the phone number and website address. The 30 second advertisement of nursery plant products should mention 4 to 5 different plants with colorful photos of the plants, preferably plants of unrelated groups. Such separate groups might be: Oak tree, amaryllis bulb, peach tree, raspberry bushes.
Due to the small area available to some homeowners and apartment dwellers, patios and small gardens may seem like a challenge to landscape.
What follows are a few simple tips and strategies designed to maximize space, and help you create a lush and vibrant outdoor living area.
Container Gardening
Examine your patio or small garden, and you will probably see nothing but straight lines and right angles.
One trick used by professional landscapers is to “soften” these lines, or “round” the corners with vines or trees grown in large containers and placed tightly against walls, in corners, or at the edge of patios.
A good rule of thumb is the old adage, “There are no straight lines in nature“. While many people may enjoy a more formal or symmetrical landscape, small gardens tend to benefit from a more natural, less structured design.
Both large and small, containers come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and designs. By placing a small tree, vine, or flowering shrub, planted in a large container in a corner, and placing around it a variety of smaller plants in pots and containers, you can create a multi-tiered effect with a great deal of texture and color.
In addition, you can achieve the same affect along walls or the edge of a patio.
Imagine a painters canvas, taller objects will stand in the background with progressively shorter objects working their way into the foreground. This creates a sense of depth, and in smaller gardens this can give the illusion of more depth than actually exists.
One method used to create this illusion of depth, is to employ plants with darker foliage (greens or purples) in the background and place plants with multi-colored, or variegated leaves (“variegated” is a horticultural term for plants who’s leaves naturally possess more than one color), or brightly colored flowers in the foreground.
Vines, grown in a large container, and trained to cover walls or a trellis, will allow you to cover large areas of your “canvas” and still maximize space in smaller gardens or patios. This will also serve to soften, the rigid box-like feel of smaller areas.
Also, a small, self-contained fountain, waterfall or pond placed against walls, or in corners, can become a focal point, or point of interest from which to build out from.
Low growing plants with multi-colored foliage (variegated), are excellent choices for small gardens. These types of plants, many possessing leaves with striking reds, creams, and pleasant shades of green all on a single leaf, can add interest, variety, and texture to areas where they are planted.
Many plants referred to as “house-plants” will have variegated foliage or interesting flowers. Most house-plants are native to tropical or semi-tropical regions of the world and in warm-winter areas will do well outside year-round.
Most house-plants tend to be shade-loving and so do best in shade gardens or beneath larger plantings. In regions with heavy frost or snow, you will need to bring the plant indoors until the weather warms again.
Dwarf varieties of trees are an excellent choice for large pots or ground planting in small gardens.
There are literally hundreds of fruiting or flowering dwarf varieties available to the home gardener. Many will also possess leaves with interesting shapes, patterns, or colors, that are sure to add interest and variety to any landscape.
Patio Trees: The term, Patio Tree, is used to describe trees that are generally small, as trees go, and are also quite attractive at close range. Their branches will not shed annoying quantities of leaves, or drop messy fruit that will litter, or stain patio surfaces.
In addition, all will have “tame” root systems that do well in large containers, or if planted in the ground will not crack pavement or greedily take water and nutrients from surrounding plants.
Finally, fragrant herbs and low-growing plants with colorful flowers make good choices for containers in small gardens. (e.g., Gardenias, Lavender, Jasmine).
Tips on planting in containers
When planting in containers, remember that the root system, cannot search beyond the container for food and water. This means the plant will be totally dependent on the nutrients and water you provide.
Remember to always use a good quality potting soil, and add an appropriate amount of granulated or slow-release fertilizer when planting.
All plants grown in containers will over time, need an application of a good quality liquid fertilizer. Also, when planting in containers, pack the potting soil in tightly to ensure there are no air pockets, or voids that could harm the roots.
Finally, always choose a container with drainage holes in the bottom. Without good drainage, fertilizer salts will build up in the soil and can then harm the plant.
Container gardening is an excellent way to maximize space, and enliven
small gardens or patios.
A wide array of plants suitable for container culture are available to the home gardener, and with a little care and planning are sure to enrich any outdoor living space.
The types of patio trees available to you will depend upon which area or region of the country you live in. Some options include:
Acer (Maple): Patio types are: Acer buergeranum (Trident Maple), A. cercinatum (Vine Maple), A. davidii (David’s Maple), A. palmatum (Japanese Maple).
Lagerstroemia Indica (Crepe Myrtle): with attractive foliage and large clusters of flowers that can range in color from pink to cranberry to a deep or hot red depending upon variety.
Magnolias: available in many regions both hot and cool, have showy displays of tulip to saucer-shaped flowers with a wide selection of colors.
Prunus: (Flowering Cherry) (Flowering Plum).
Dwarf Citrus: such as lemon, lime or orange, make good additions to small gardens and tend to hold their fruit for many months.
Good Luck and Happy Gardening!