THE LEAFLET
Tree Rainbow: Blue and Purple Blooms
You know the cereal marketing slogan, “Taste the Rainbow”? Well we’re taking a separate approach here at Casey Trees and will show you the rainbow. The rainbow of trees’ spring blooms that is! Each of the trees we’ll highlight are available for free through our residential programs. So whether you prefer bold red, sunny yellow, or classic pinks, trees offer something for everything:
We’re cheating a bit with this one, but we couldn’t resist featuring it! It may not have blue or purple flowers, but Nyssa sylvatica has purple berries. These appear in the fall with it’s colorful, fiery leaves and are an important food source for birds. The black tupelo, also known as the black gum, is mostly known for its pollen-packed flowers, which bees eat to make their famous Tupelo Honey. Attract bees and birds to your yard by planting one of these through our residential planting programs.
A local favorite found in forests, fields and yards – the redbud usually blooms in late February or March. Small, pinkish-purple flowers are produced in unbelievable profusion along the branches (and even on the trunk) before their heart shaped purple leaves appear. A fast grower, redbuds can reach 15 – 25 feet in height in approximately 15 years. For this reason, it is often planted under power lines – a plus in a city like ours. Not only are redbuds available through our residential planting program RiverSmart Homes, you can also get up to $50 back for planting this tree yourself through our tree rebate program!
The rest of the rainbow: Red/Orange | Yellow/Green
Stay tuned next week when we look at pink blooms!