In this Knoxville Daily Sun article, Nick St. Sauveur from Cortese Tree Specialists, a Davey company, shares information about cherry blossom blooms across Tennessee.
As winter winds down, spring gears up to offer a stunning show of flowers in Knoxville. The “starring role” this month is played by two iconic blooming trees: the cherry blossom tree and the dogwood tree. “Unlike their name might imply, cherry blossom trees don’t actually produce fruit,” says Nick St. Sauveur, certified arborist with Cortese Tree Specialists, a Davey company, in Knoxville. “They’re an extremely popular small to medium-sized landscape tree, and their appeal comes from their beautiful spring flowering.” St. Sauveur adds that dogwood trees are native to East Tennessee and thrive throughout the region.
Cherry blossom trees can be identified by blooms that are smaller than the star magnolias, saucer magnolias, and dogwood trees that also bloom across East Tennessee in the spring. Cherry blossom flowers come in a range of hues from white to ballet slipper pink depending on the tree’s variety. Some cherry blossom trees grow upright, reaching heights of 20-40’, while others have a spectacular weeping habit with flower-laden branches that sway in the breeze. Once cherry blossom blooms emerge, they generally last for about ten to fourteen days before the petals flutter from the branches in a beautiful showering that covers the ground.
Dogwood trees are smaller understory trees that are easily recognizable by their showy cross-shaped white or pink flowerlike bracts. Their green leaves are oval in shape, and reach 3-6” in length. In fall, these trees’ foliage turns a beautiful cranberry red that makes a stunning addition to the autumnal landscape.
Cherry blossom and dogwood trees make excellent choices for the home landscape for several reasons. Reaching a shorter mature height than many other trees, their size makes them the perfect pick for urban landscapes and smaller landscapes. And for spring allergy sufferers, these two trees are not generally viewed as major contributing trees that cause seasonal sneezes. Additionally, both trees offer multiple seasons of beauty. Their spring blooms soon give way to rich emerald-green foliage that provides verdant color in the summer landscape.
To read more of Nick's information, click here.
For more information, contact the Cortese Tree Specialists.
The Davey Tree Expert Company, headquartered in Kent, Ohio, provides research-driven tree services, grounds maintenance and environmental and utility infrastructure consulting for residential, utility, commercial and environmental partners in the U.S. and Canada. As one of the top ten largest employee-owned companies in the U.S., Davey's 12,000 employees have been dedicated to creating and delivering sustainable solutions since 1880. Apply today to join the Davey legacy, and learn about how we're growing with our new SEED Campus.
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