THE LEAFLET
Tree Rainbow: Red and Orange 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:
Starting off with the aptly named Red Maple, we’re focusing on something other than its famous fall foliage. Did you know its delicate blooms are red too? Red maple is one of the best named of all trees, featuring something red in each of the seasons—buds in winter, flowers in spring, leafstalks in summer, and brilliant foliage in autumn. Its showy nature coupled with its tolerance of a multitude of soils, it’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular planted trees. This tree is available through our residential planting program, RiverSmart Homes. Since this will grow into a large shade tree, it’s eligible for up to $100 back for planting this tree yourself through our tree rebate program.
At the north end of its range in DC, the pawpaw is an under-used, small tropical tree with lustrous, dark-green leaves. While it’s famous for the fact that it grows the largest fruit indigenous to North America, the flowers that produce that fruit are also captivating. A deep red, almost maroon color the spring flowers produce clusters of kidney-shaped fruit that taste like a banana crossed with a mango. Animals enjoy the fruit, so the tree should be netted to protect the fruit for human consumption, however, deer will not eat pawpaw leaves. Want to grow a regional delicacy in your yard? This tree is available through our residential planting program, RiverSmart Homes.
Stay tuned next week when we look at yellow and green blooms!