With Spring just around the corner, you’ll be surprised by the occasional flower blossoming on your trail, even if you’re one to not pay too much attention to detail.

Flowers are nothing but a part plants’ reproductive system, which produce seeds, and that make an appearance mostly during Spring time, especially with the increase of temperature and longer days.

It is obvious that different plants bloom in different seasons due to various factors, such as the weather, the temperature or the amount of sunlight they get.

Climate change, namely global warming, has had a drastic impact on blossoming season for plants, for instance, in England plants are blooming earlier in comparison to the last 250 years.

We have, therefore, made a selection of a couple of trees that can be found on our streets, supporting beautiful and exuberant flowers, so that you are more aware of your surroundings, and also have a better idea of the vegetation that brightens your days.

You may plant some of these species in your garden, so make sure you have the necessary space, spoil and exposure.

Magnolia x soulangeana –  One of the first trees to blossom, showing only the branches and the pink coloured flowers, this tree does not go by unnoticed. But there are other two magnolia species that are worth mentioning.

Magnolia grandiflora, a tree with large leaves and an impressive white flower. No wonder its common name is white magnolia or bigleaf magnolia.

This is a tree with persistent foliage, which means its leaves will last all year long.

Magnolia stellata, a smaller magnolia, a shrub, which stands out from the landscape when blooming because its white flowers, aside from having a strong and pleasant aroma, contrast with the dark branches.

Aesculus x carnea or red chestnut – which begins its flowering in April, is one of the pollution resistant species, and therefore very much present in cities. Its pink panicle flowers and its thorny fruit are reminiscent of a chestnut (but they are inedible and toxic!)

Cercis siliquastrum – the Judas Tree is a small deciduous tree which paints our landscape in shades of purple in the Spring, with its flowers that bloom before the leaves. This is an indigenous tree, originally from the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. A beautiful option for smaller gardens in which the intention is to obtain an intense flowering.

Jacarandá mimosifolia – one may find beautiful Jacarandás spread around several Portuguese towns, a tree that is originally from Brazil, and supports a beautiful purple flower which blooms in late Spring. In Lisbon, for instance, we get to see whole avenues painted in purple when Jacarandá is blooming.

There are also (edible) fruit trees we may find in our daily lives, which gift us with beautiful flowers and delightful aromas during the Spring, like the wild Pear tree (Pyrus communis), the Cherry tree (Prunus avium) and, obviously, the Almond tree (Prunus dulcis), which are impossible to miss in the Portuguese landscape.

Amália Souto de Miranda

Landscape Architect