Friday, April 9, 2010

Today in the Garden: trees in the Rosaceae family

The north allee of Japanese crabapples (Malus floribunda) at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park.
Though one side of the allee buds pink the flowers are actually bright white, even during a morning rain.

In the south allee you can see the other side of the allees better, the true pink crabapples, also botanically known as Malus floribunda. These trees were grown on a farm up the Hudson and brought down on a barge in full flower one spring before being installed here before the garden opened to the public in September of 1937.
And then in the south garden (English Garden) there is also a purple leaf sand cherry (Prunus x cistena) just coming into bloom. This fabulous small tree gets to about 10 feet with a slightly narrower spread and then begins slowing down. The spring flowers are tiny and precious and then the tree maintains it's red leaf color through the season. This time of year everyone who comes through the garden confuses the crabapples and cherries, which is understandable since they are both members of the Rose family.

No comments: