Beautiful Ornamental Trees to Add Aesthetic Value to Your Garden

If you want shrubs and trees in your garden of different colors and shades, then colorful ornamental trees are the right choice. These trees are a good way to zip and zest your garden with beautiful leaves of different colors. Here is an article with the best ornamental trees you can add to your garden. 

Beautiful Ornamental Trees

Ornamental trees are the ones used to decorate gardens and landscapes. These trees are added to gardens to increase the aesthetic value of the landscapes. They grow beautiful flowers, have mesmerizing fragrance, wonderful shape, amazing fall color, colorful or unusual bark, or a combination of all these outstanding features. 

If you have a small garden, then you can add one ornamental tree, but if you have a big one, you should grow two or three trees to enhance the overall look of your place. These trees add structure and framework to the harden. Moreover, they also make amazing background plants for flower borders and shrubs. 

Copper Beech

Botanical Name: Fagus sylvatica

Color Varieties: purple, yellow, green, or variegated leaves

USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 7

Soil Needs: well-drained soil

Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial sun

If you are looking for the best trees for your front yard, then trust me, it is the best. Copper beech trees grow leaves of different colors and also produce beechnuts that are edible for both humans and wildlife. These decorative trees can grow really large and upto 100 feet, depending on their variety. It usually has purple or copper leaves, and during fall, they turn to dark red. 

Some of the popular varieties of Copper beech include Atropunicea, Atropurpurea, and Purpurea. They are slow-growing, and you can also prune them to serve as wind-blocking plants as they are tolerant to wind conditions. These are among the best ornamental trees that can make your garden the talk of the town and for a good reason. 

Barberries

Botanical Name: Berberis vulgaris

Color Varieties: Gold, gree, red, and purple foliage

USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9

Soil Needs: well-drained soil

Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun

Barberries are one of the most popular low-maintenance landscaping plants. These ornamental trees are not only decorative but also deer resistant, which helps you to protect your garden. Moreover, these beautiful trees grow thorny stems that help in creating a perfect foundation for garden security. Once you establish them properly, they are drought-tolerant, which makes the right choice for new gardeners. 

In many states, it is not allowed to grow barberries as they are invasive. So make sure to collect details from local extension services if you are planning to grow it. Moreover, grow barberries in full or part sun and keep the soil well-drained. In order to add a decorative touch, pair barberries with lime green plants to create an eye-catching display. 

Japanese Maples

Botanical Name: Acer palmatum

Color Varieties: Green, gold, red, and purple

USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8

Soil Needs: Well-drained soil

Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial sun

When it comes to small ornamental trees, Japanese maples are an amazing pick. These are among the best small tree for landscaping and are also perfect for making your zen garden. That’s not it. They are also the best trees for the front yard. Amusing, right? You will be surprised to know that these trees grow beautiful green-to-red colored leaves that turn into shades of orange, red, or purple during fall. 

Japanese maple can grow 15 to 25 feet tall, but there are also varieties that are dwarf. You can grow these ornamental trees in zones from 5 to 9. Some of the popular varieties of Japanese maple include ever red, garnet, burgundy lace, and Takayama. 

Elderberries

Botanical Name: Sambucus nigra

Color Varieties: Purple, gold, gree, and red

USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9

Soil Needs: well-drained soil

Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun

If you are looking for trees with white flowers, then elderberries are the perfect pick. The fruits of these ornamental trees are used in recipes to make syrups, brandy, wine, jams, and jellies. These trees need full sun to partial shade. When growing these beautiful trees, make sure to provide them with a lot of water. The soil around the tree would be moist but do not keep it waterlogged. Moreover, before planting elderberries, make sure to turn the soil with compost. However, if you have pets at home, then it is better to avoid certain varieties of elderberries like American elderberry. These are among the plants toxic to dogs and other pets. 

Crabapples

Botanical Name: Malus sp.

Color Varieties: Pale pink, white, or red flowers, reddish, green, and purple foliage

USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 9

Soil Needs: Well-drained soil 

Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun

If you are looking for trees with pink flowers, then Crabapples is the right choice. These ornamental trees will add beautiful pink color to your garden in all seasons with their leaves, fruits, and flowers. Crabapples come in a wide range of groups with different sizes ranging from 11 to 25 feet. It is best to grow these ornamental trees in full sun, although there are some varieties suitable to grow in partial shade. Moreover, you have to be careful with watering crabapples. Make sure not to extra water it unless it is a specific dry season.  

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry

Botanical Name: Prunus X cistena

Color Varieties: pink or white flowers; purple reddish foliage

USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 8

Soil Needs: Well-drained soil

Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial sun

This one is among the best small ornamental trees or shrubs that feature small purple fruits for birds and wildlife. These ornamental trees are easy to care for, due to which they are profoundly suitable for new gardeners. All you need to grow these plants is a good dose of sunshine and well-drained soil, and you will get trees with white flowers. These trees bloom after spring, and the beautiful white and light pink flowers are replaced by purple or black fruits in mid-summer. 

Kousa Dogwood

Botanical Name: Cornus kousa

Color Varieties: White, red, and pink

USDA Growing Zones: 5-8

Soil Needs: Well-drained, rich soil

Sun Exposure: Full to part shade

If you love trees with white flowers, then you should have kousa dogwood in your garden. Planting kousa dogwood in your landscape is a good idea as it will add four-season interest by extending the bloom time in spring and attract a wide range of wildlife. 

The beautiful blooms of these ornamental trees are actually specialized foliage or bracts and not flowers. These bracts are star-shaped and come in different colors like red, pink, and white. It prefers full sun, but they can also suffer from sun scorch. So, it is better to grow these beautiful trees at a place where they can receive morning sun and afternoon shade. 

Ornamental Pears

Botanical Name: Pyrus

Color Varieties: White

USDA Growing Zones: 5-9

Soil Needs: Well-drained, moist soil

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

People who love trees with white flowers must have ornamental pears in their garden. These are among the best small ornamental trees that can add a soothing white touch to your garden. Ornamental pears can tolerate wet soil but make sure that the soil around your tree has good drainage. Moreover, these trees are susceptible t a disease known as fire blight. Therefore it is essential to prune off the infected portion as soon as you find out. 

Final Words

Ornamental trees add a decorative touch to your garden and contribute to the overall aesthetic value. These trees are being popularly used to add beauty to the landscapes. They are eBay to grow and care, so you do not have to spend a lot of time caring for them. Tell us about your favorite ornamental trees by dropping a comment.