For three long, wonderful seasons of interest: Male horns
cornelian cherry, Male hornsThere are delicate little flowers that come in February; A burst of yellow firecrackers dot its exposed bark, a time of year when we need a little cheer. A compact tree, it won’t dominate the garden or provide too much shade. In mid-summer, bright red, glossy fruits appear that are edible. Then in the fall the leaves turn reddish purple, with the beautiful, slightly mottled leaves that are characteristic of Cornus.
I love these trees so much that I recently planted one of them as a single specimen tree, just meters from a client’s kitchen window. It will brighten the view from her dining table, and provide a gentle tether to her little one’s changing seasons. City garden. Native to Central and Southern Europe, Male horns Introduced in the UK in the late 1890s.
For a hit of neon spring color: Acacia Dealbata
There’s a moment in early spring when all the mimosas begin to bloom, usually in early March, and I wonder again why I don’t have one in my own garden. Some parts of West London do them particularly well; One road in Chiswick in particular has some spectacular specimens. Their spring display, with its shock of bright yellow, pom pom flowers, also smells delicious. And with pinnate evergreen leaves, it’ll also give you a good dose of year-round greenery like ferns.
