Q: I have to remove a declining Flowering Dogwood, and would like to replace it with another white, spring-blooming small tree. Crabapple doesn’t appeal to me, and I already have a Magnolia. What would you recommend?
A: I think Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) is underused and quite showy. White is a common flower color for spring-blooming trees, native and otherwise, but for some reason this species is often overlooked. Growing wild essentially state-wide, it’s adaptable enough to handle home landscapes well if given good drainage and a half-day to full sun. Established plants have some drought tolerance, and grow at a similar pace overall to Flowering Dogwood (that is, slow to moderate, averaging a foot per year).
A member of the olive family, Fringetree is a cousin to Ash, and as such might be vulnerable to Emerald Ash Borer, the invasive insect that has decimated Ash trees region-wide over the past two decades. However, I think their susceptibility is low enough to give them a try, as I have not learned about any rampant problems with the beetle seriously damaging Fringetree, especially with the loss of most of the local Ash population’s mature trees.
The olive-like dark blue berries produced by female Fringetrees are decorative and appealing to birds, but sexing trees is difficult unless they were propagated as cuttings from a tree of known sex. A lone female tree may not fruit if there are no males within pollinating distance, and male trees can’t fruit. Occasionally, a female tree might self-pollinate, but this is not the norm. If you have room, plant two and take a chance of having a pairing for pollination, or just enjoy the flowers (showy on both sexes), which are also scented.
Other candidates for the criteria of white spring-flowering trees with a maturity smaller than a shade tree include: Serviceberry (Amelanchier species); Redbud (Cercis canadensis; there are a couple white-flowering cultivars); Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’ being widely available); American Plum (Prunus americana); Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia); Carolina Silverbell (Halesia species); and Snowbell (Styrax species).
By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.
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