Tea Olive!!

Osmanthus frangrans

Yay for the internet community!!  Through Pinterest interaction, I have found out the name of yet another favorite flowering tree - the Tea Olive!  This one is in the yard of the house I just moved into this past summer, and in late September, it bloomed with the most fragrant flowers I have yet to discover on a relatively small tree.  The blooms are small and white, and it blooms sporadically all summer;  here in the South, it will even bloom during warm snaps over the winter.  It does well in most soils, and most sun/shade situations, so it is a very low-maintenance tree.  It is an evergreen, with dark green glossy leaves.

Beautybush 6'-10' Shrub

Okay, here's one I don't remember having seen before, but I found it while trying to identify others.  The Kolkwitzia amabilis, better known as the Beautybush, blooms in late spring with pink bell-shaped flowers, and has beautiful red fall foliage.  Also boasts dark green leaves and unique bark.  This shrub, which grows (fast-growing, too!) to 6 to 10 feet tall, likes well-drained soil and full sun.

Redbud

Another long-time favorite is the redbud, or Eastern Redbud.  It blooms about midway between the Bradford Pears and the Dogwoods, so it shares Spring splendor with both of them.  Early buds have a red appearance (hence the name), then bloom into petite bright lavender blossoms in early to mid-April.

Pink Dogwood

I also love the pink dogwood!  Together, the pink and white, blooming alongside the azaleas, makes for the perfect Southern landscape!  A MUST for my dream yard!!

0                                                                                                  

Dogwood Tree

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention a long-time favorite that I have known for most of my life - the Dogwood, dear to every native Georgian heart.  I played inside their foliage as a child - it makes a perfect playhouse, with an open area around the trunk while the branches leaf out almost to the ground all around as it matures.  Mid-spring blooming season (after the Bradford Pears, which are the early spring bloomers), usually bloom around mid- to late April, although this year was unusual - the groundhog was spot-on with his prediction of an early spring this year!  It got warm around February 9, and except for a few cool fronts, spring was here to stay!  (It has not dipped below freezing since then!!).  So everthing bloomed early this year - the Bradford pears actually started budding in February, bloomed in March, and the dogwoods started blooming in late March!

Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Tree

I have admired this tree for many years without knowing what it was.  Finally, this past week, while at my parents', my Mom discovered the name - Kwanzan Cherry.  It is easily the most beautiful pink-flowering tree in the Southeast, beginning its blooming season alongside the Bradford Pears and continuing the display beautiful clusters of pink blossoms, resembling carnations, until the dogwoods are blooming with them!  A must-have for my dream home....

Mountain Evergreen Tree

There is a tree and/or tall shrub that I always see when I drive up in the North Georgia Mountains, and it is an evergreen with dark green glossy leaves, long and tapered. It has an almost tropical look, but it obviously likes cool mountainous climates rather than a tropical climate. Mountain Laurel? I don't know if it has blooms in the spring or not....
Okay, nope, it's not mountain laurel... I'll keep looking!
Okay - it is Rhododendron!! Rosebay Rhododendron, to be exact. I love it!!! And it does produce a flower in June, either white, pink, or pale purple. It IS sometimes called "Great Laurel", so maybe that's where I got the mountain laurel idea.