Is there a such thing as a blue flowering tree?

[biwa]

I was thinking a tree that has blue or blue-violet flowers in the spring time would look really pretty. But I can't think of anything that color that isn't a nasty weed like wisteria or kudzu.

The only potential plant I've thought of so far is vitex but it blooms in the summer (and therefore isn't as spectacular looking as a tree that blooms in the spring because it's covered in leaves).

Crepe myrtle is another I've considered, but I can't seem to find one that's blue enough for my tastes.

Do you have any suggestions?

[valleytreeman]

Well, I guess you could consider Pawlonia Tomentosa as a blue/violet spring bloomer. Getrs to be pretty good size though. Likes a well drained sandy soil, but will tolerate any well drained soil consistency.

[applestar]

There's a sport cultivar of Eastern Redbud called 'Forest Pansy' that I've heard have purple/lavender flowers, unlike the pink flowers of its parent Eastern Redbud. From what I can tell, some are more purple than others and some are more pink, depending on who you get it from.

Paulownia are very pretty and I've often wondered about them, but they are listed as invasive, so unless you're going to manage it as lumber by cutting it down and using the wood (considered the BEST material for storing clothes, kind of like cedar here), it can cause many problems down the line.

[biwa]

I googled that forest pansy thing, but so far every image I've found of it shows pink flowers, so I'm not real interested... everybody has pink flowering trees, so they don't really stand out.

My dad has a Paulownia Tometesa tree. It's really neat. He cuts it down every spring, and by summer its already grown 15 feet tall. The neatest part about it is that the more often you cut it down, the bigger the leaves get, so he ends up with leaves 3 feet wide. I've never seen it bloom before though, are the flowers actually blue-violet? For some reason, I always thought Paulownia Tometesa had white flowers.

I'll think about the Paulownia Tometesa idea. Any other suggestions?

[hendi_alex]

My daughter lives in zone 7 and has the most wonderful blue lilac. I envy her for that one tree alone, and so wish that we could grow and bloom a pure blue lilac here in zone 8. They are more of a large shrub, growing from 6 feet to as tall as 20 feet depending upon the variety. A blue lilac will certainly get a spot or two in my yard if the breeders ever develop a reliable plant for zone 8. Will probably try one of the zone 8 recommended plants this year or next regardless of color.

photos:
[url]https://www.rabbitrunnursery.com/lilacsel.htm[/url]

info:
[url]https://www.rabbitrunnursery.com/lilacs.htm[/url]

[wingdesigner]

Is there another thread around here about the Pawlonia--with more detailed info, and why it's listed as invasive? I was considering it to replace my dead sugar maple, but not if I have to cut it down every year. Why does one have to cut it down, and wouldn't it turn shrubby? Does it come back as a single trunk every year? If left alone, how does it become invasive, and what would the mature size be? Lastly, is it a long-lived tree--most fast-growers are not. Whew!

[valleytreeman]

Is there another thread around here about the Pawlonia--with more detailed info, and why it's listed as invasive? I was considering it to replace my dead sugar maple, but not if I have to cut it down every year. Why does one have to cut it down, and wouldn't it turn shrubby? Does it come back as a single trunk every year? If left alone, how does it become invasive, and what would the mature size be? Lastly, is it a long-lived tree--most fast-growers are not. Whew!

The Pawlonia, or Princess Tree does not have to be cut down every year. It does have very fasrt juvenile growth and will certainly shoot up that 15 feet in a single season if copiced, usually with multi stems that need to be trained back to a single stem. In coler areas, say zone 6 and lower it may well lose half a year's height growth to freeze as the latest growth of the season doesn't harden off prior to freeze. Such trees often develope a rather erose structure. Great fro an oriental or electic garden, but the bane of most American gardeners.

I have never experienced Pawlonia as being invasive. It will produce abundant seed from its up right grapelike fruiting pods, but these seed pretty much require access to disturbed soils and full sunlight. I have seen individual pawlonias in pastures with no indication of invasiveness. Likewise it is intolerant of shade so will not invade forest lands. The main places I see it naturally seeding in is old soil spoil areas such as railroad and road cuts and fills..... situations where pioneer tree species thrive. IT is an alien species to the US, but my observations would not classify it as invasive.... just agressive in the right situations.

I have seen some extensive stands in NJ along the Delaware in old dredge fill areas. However these stands rarely last long as the silty fill sites are rather poorly drained.... a condition the Pawlonia don't like.

The pawlonia wood does have several uses. In Japan it is prized as a traditional wood for keep chests. The wood has a unique characteristic in that it doesn't burn well. It kinda chars on the ouside and the goes out. In early Japan when stick and paper home costruction was used, village conflagerations were common. Chests made of Pawlonia where used to protect valuables from these fires. It is still highly sought after as the traditional wood for these traditional keep chests.

[wingdesigner]

Fascinating! Thanks! I may have to look for another fast-growing, non-maple, single-trunk tree, since my zone 5 winter this year was more like a zone 3.5 or 4.

[rainbowgardener]

if you are just looking for a fast growing single trunk cold hardy tree (ignoring the original question about blue flowering), a good choice is the buckeye. It is our state tree here in Ohio. It is cold hardy down to zone 4, the baby one I planted in my back yard a couple years ago is growing 3 - 5 feet a year, they are pretty trees and very low maintenance. It will seed itself and start new buckeyes, but not invasively. The buckeyes are great squirrel food.

[wingdesigner]

Um, no offense, but I am from Michigan--growing the Ohio state tree might be dicey in my neighbourhood. (ahem)

I was thinking walnut, but having to rake up the nuts every year (we are overrun with squirrels and the pesky black ones are threatening to take over the red ones) does not excite me. I raked McIntosh apples from the time I could hold a rake until I moved out; raking anything more than once is not in my "to do list" . But I will consider it, I need something to shade the back yard and bedroom window. How are they for invasive roots? My sewer lines run straight down the middle of the back yard.

[abrogard]

I just accidentally bumped into this thread whilst googling around about blue flowering trees.

I thought I'd mention we have a much loved tree we call a 'Jacaranda' which flowers in blue, beautifully.

Probably just restating something you all know, already. sorry.

[royaladyaa]

Another blue flowering tree is Sapphire Dragon--Really fast growing, easy to raise and germinated easily from seeds. Large, pretty leaves.

[mdvaden]

If you have patience, maybe a Ceanothus. One variety, Victoria something or other, can be allowed to grow a small canopy, thinning beneath and letting the top broaden.

Mine went from 5 gallon size to 7' tall and 7' wide in 2 or 3 growing seasons at another home we lived at.

Its does take an occassional snip of a branch end to get rid of some excess elongation. But not a bunch of outside cuts at once, so it does not look sheared.

But its blue alright. Honey bees like it.

[MysticGardener67]

To old posts LOL . umm the only 'tree' form woody plant of any kind that blooms in the spring are certain varieties of Lilac, specifically the varities/cultivars "Blue Mountain" and "Big Sur".

They are classified as shrubs but can reach the hight of small trees , between 15 and 20 feet.

Google "blue lilacs" for more cultivars and images to see if these will do.