The Best Tree for Ornamental Landscaping & Curb Appeal

Dogwood offers ornamental blooms in spring.

Ornamental value of a tree in the landscape may depend on its blooms, habit or texture of the bark. Many well-placed flowering trees may be ornamental and provide curb appeal in the landscape.

Flowering Dogwood

Some cultivars of dogwood have pink flowers.

Among the earliest of spring bloomers, both the Kousa (Cornus kousa) and native dogwood (Cornus florida) add ornamental value in the landscape. Dogwoods may be used individually as a specimen (focal point) or in borders or groups for masses of blooms. Foliage of the dogwood tree turns red in autumn. Multi-stemmed trunks, fruit and camouflage-like bark make this tree ornamental for all seasons.

Saucer Magnolia

Showy magnolia blooms add curb appeal.

Saucer magnolia trees' buds, which look like fuzzy rabbit's feet, become showy flowers. Late winter to early spring blooms may be nipped by frost, but otherwise saucer magnolia is a valuable, ornamental specimen. Its bark is smooth and light gray.

Crape Myrtle

White summer blooms of crape myrtle.

Exfoliating bark and showy blooms allow the crape myrtle tree to add curb appeal in the landscape. Long-lasting summer blooms continue if deadheaded. The cultivar Natchez offers cinnamon and orange peeling bark.

References

• University of Missouri Extension: Landscaping Your Front Yard
• North Carolina State University: The Flowering Dogwood
• Clemson Cooperative Extension: Crapemyrtle

Resources

• Ohio State University Extension: Ornamental Trees:; Get a Little Landscaping Advice at FSR