Trees With Showy White Flowers

USDA Zones 2 and 3

• Cold tolerance is a major attribute of the black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii), a small flowering tree of the Pacific Northwest able to grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 and 3. Black hawthorn's white June flowers yield fruit that birds gobble down. Growing to 30 feet, this tree does best in damp, full sunshine habitats. The white flowers of a chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) bring in butterflies as well as birds to watch. The showy blooms emerge in April and May. "Canada Red" is a cultivar growing to 25 feet, featuring a straight trunk, colorful purple foliage and attractive white flowers in clusters as long as 5 inches. It is appropriate for small lots in zones 2 and 3, working well even under power lines, according to the Washington State University Clark County Extension.

USDA Zone 4 and 5

• Botonists believe the Juneberry (Amelanchier lamarckii) is a natural hybrid of serviceberry tree species, growing in the eastern United States and tolerant of USDA zone 4 winters. Juneberry grows to 25 feet, produces aromatic white flowers in April and rapidly ripening June fruits. Yellow and purple spots decorate the showy white flowers of northern catalpa, a tree for zones 4 and 5 capable of reaching 60 feet in height. The late spring blossoms combine with large, heart-shaped foliage and eventual elongated, hanging seedpods to make this an interesting specimen for large landscapes. Plant the "Sentinel" flowering crabapple cultivar in both zones for its flowers and fruit. When they initially emerge, blossoms are pink, but they turn white before changing into edible ½-inch long crabapples.

USDA Zone 6 and 7

• The white bracts around a Kousa dogwood's (Cornus kousa) small flowers create a wonderfully showy effect in May and June within USDA zones 6 and 7. Growing to 20 feet, kousa dogwood provides you with scarlet and purple foliage. The bark is also ornamental and the tree is a beacon for butterflies and hummingbirds. The Kobus magnolia (Magnolia kobus) handles zones much chillier than 6 and 7, maturing to become a wide spreading tree 25 feet high and as wide as 35 feet. The showy spring flowers are white with a touch of pink, possessing 4-inch diameters.

USDA Zones 8, 9 and 10

• The flowers of the jacktree (Sinojackia rehderiana) develop to an inch across, growing in clusters of from three to five on the branches. The jacktree grows wild in eastern China, but in North America adapts to USDA zones 8, 9 and 10. Jacktrees are small, growing to just 20 feet high, and they show some tolerance of drought. "Jim Wilson" is a cultivar of the sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) that grows in a more upright manner than the parent species does. The white flowers on this tree have a waxy appearance, as many as 12 petals and are creamy white in color. Jim Wilson handles these zones and is also hardy to zone 5. It has semi-evergreen foliage and has no problem establishing itself in damp soils.