By Bev Johnson

Master Gardener

Petunia and Bunkey were going shopping in the “big city” (population 14,000), when she noticed a small tree covered with huge cream-colored flowers in the boulevard. “What is that tree? I want one in our yard in that bare spot.” The tree was a Japanese Tree Lilac. It is a great small tree for a small yard, only getting about 25 feet tall and, at maturity, that wide. The blooms are spectacular. They can be as big as a foot wide and tall. It’s a great ornamental or specimen tree for a small yard. 

The Japanese lilac can have one stem or be multiple stemmed. In the nursery, the young tree looks more like an oval and upright. It spreads as it matures so give the girl room. It is the last tree to bloom, usually in June. The flowers can last as long as 2 weeks. You may want to remove the dead blooms as the seed heads aren’t very attractive. The foliage is dark green. Like most lilacs, it doesn’t have much, if any, fall color. The bark is reddish brown that ages to dark grey. She wants full sun and is hardy to zone 3.

There are several cultivars. Ivory Silk is a bit smaller as she is only about 15 feet wide but still 25 feet tall. Golden Eclipse was discovered in Ontario, Canada. It has variegated foliage in the spring. The new leaves emerge green with a dark center. The edge of the leaf gradually turns gold and the dark green shadow in the middle of the leaf gives the illusion of an eclipse. The variegation is best in early spring and summer then becomes quite subtle. First Editions “Snow Dance” was introduced in 2009 by Baily Nursery. It’s described as having thick, glossy leaves and a consistent year to year bloom.

There are several other small trees for smaller spaces that are worth looking at. June berry or Saskatoon berry likes to be on the edge of taller trees. She blooms with white puffs of flowers followed by blue berries that are delicious if you can beat the birds to them. She’s a narrow girl unlike the white mulberry. This one is wider than she is tall. You will be positive she died over the winter as she is slow to leaf out. Blooms appear shortly after the leaves then the berries form only days after the blossoms. She has blossoms and fruits at the same time. The fruit looks like a dark purple raspberry. Great eating but the birds usually have her stripped before you notice the fruit.

Of course we can’t forget the lowly crab apple. This tree comes in several colors of bloom from pure white to pink to red. The leaves can be green or reddish. Some cultivars are slender, some wider than tall and there is even a weeping cultivar. That one is a bit peculiar looking, like an upside-down rag mop.

This is the time of year to buy trees and shrubs as they are in full leaf and usually on sale. Your local nursery has people on hand to guide you to the right tree, shrub, or perennial for your space. They want you to be happy with your choice as a reputable nursery will not usually guarantee a replacement if your plant dies. It is up to you to take proper care of your new baby with the proper space, watering, and if necessary, winter protection.

Petunia now has her Japanese tree lilac. Bunkey bought it for her birthday (even though that is in November)