Sally Scalera: These flowering trees can provide shade and color to your Brevard landscape

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Summer is here and the large, flowering yellow poinciana trees are blooming now.

These trees are so large their colorful blooms will be visible from far away, so scan the horizon for yellow as you drive around the county.

If you enjoy both colorful flowers and summer-time shade, here are some flowering trees to consider adding to your landscape. Brief descriptions of each tree are provided to assist you in selecting the right tree for your yard.

These trees are native to Florida.

Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) is deciduous, 12 to 20 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. White flowers are produced in the spring and are followed by berries that attract birds. Plant in full sun to shade. Cold tolerant.

Coral bean (Erythrina herbacea) is deciduous, 8 to 15 feet tall, 8 to 10 feet wide. Spikes of red flowers are produced in the spring. It grows in full sun to partial shade. Coral bean trees attract humming birds, are salt and drought tolerant and tolerate a wide range of pH, cold temperatures.

Sweet Acacia (Vachellia farnesiana) is semi-evergreen, 15 to 20 feet tall and wide, with small fragrant yellow pom-pom flowers produced throughout the year. Small thorns are produced on the trunk. Sweet Acacia has high drought and salt tolerance and attracts birds.

Geiger tree (Cordia sebestena) is evergreen, 25 to 30 feet tall, 20 to 25 feet wide, with orange tubular flowers that bloom in the spring and summer. It grows in full sun to partial shade, attracts hummingbirds and has both high salt and drought tolerance.

Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is evergreen, 60 to 80 feet tall, 30 to 40 feet spread, with fragrant white flowers that bloom spring through the summer. It's extremely cold-hardy. (I have seen it on the Iowa State University campus.)

The following trees are not native to Florida:

Golden trumpet tree (Handroanthus chrysanthus previously called Tabebuia chrysotricha) is deciduous with a height and spread of 25 to 35 feet. Bright yellow flowers are produced before the foliage appears in the spring. It grows in full sun to partial shade.

Purple trumpet tree (Handroanthus impetiginosus, previously called Tabebuia impetiginosa) is deciduous, 12 to18 feet tall, 10 to 15 foot spread. Purple flowers bloom in the spring before the foliage appears. It grows in full sun and has high drought tolerance.  

White Geiger tree (Cordia boissieri) is evergreen, 15 to 20 feet tall, 10 to 15 feet wide, white flowers year-round. It grows in full sun to partial shade, and is drought and salt tolerant and cold hardy.

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Bottlebrush (Melaleuca citrina previously called Callistemon citrinus) is evergreen, 10 to 15 feet tall and wide. Red flowers are produced spring through summer. Plant in full sun. It attracts hummingbirds, has high drought tolerance and is cold tolerant. The weeping bottlebrush (Melaleuca viminalis previously called Callistemon viminalis) is considered a high invasion risk, per IFAS Assessment for north, central and south Florida, so don’t plant this species.

Peregrina (Jatropha integerrima) is evergreen and only grows 10 to 15 feet tall and wide. Red flowers are produced throughout the year. It grows in full sun to full shade, is a nectar source for butterflies and produces poisonous seeds.

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is deciduous, with numerous cultivars that range in size and flower colors, including lavender, pink, purple, red and white. It blooms spring through summer in full sun. It is extremely cold tolerant.

Silver trumpet tree (Tabebuia aurea) is semi-evergreen, 20 to 40 feet tall, 15 to 25 feet wide. Yellow flowers are produced in the spring. Plant in a sunny location.

Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) is deciduous, 25 to 40 feet tall, 45 to 60 feet wide. Fragrant lavender flowers bloom in the spring. It flowers best in sunny locations and has high drought and cold tolerance.

Golden shower (Cassia fistula) is deciduous, 30 to 40 feet tall and wide. Yellow blooms appear in the summer. It has moderate salt and drought tolerance.

Yellow Poinciana (Peltophorum pterocarpum) is semi-evergreen, 40 to 50 feet tall, 35 to 50 feet wide. Fragrant yellow flowers are produced in the summer. Plant in a sunny location.

Floss silk tree (Ceiba speciosa previously called Chorisia speciosa) is deciduous, 35 to 50 feet tall, 40 to 55 feet wide. Pink and white flowers are produced in the fall and winter. It is cold tolerant and a unique looking tree with large “thorns” produced on a green trunk.

Royal poinciana (Delonix regia) is a tropical tree that produces red flowers and is common throughout south Florida. It will also grow well over on the beaches and mid to southern Merritt Island. If you plant it on the mainland in Brevard County, a winter freeze could kill it. This tree forms an umbrella-shaped canopy that can reach a height of 35 to 40 feet and a spread of 40 to 60 feet, so this does not belong in a small yard. But the shade it produces will feel wonderful through the summer.

If any of these trees sound like a great addition to your yard, summer is a wonderful time to plant a new tree. To help your trees grow their best, inoculate them with mycorrhizae! If you would like more information on this topic, email me at sasc@ufl.edu.

Just think: When you get flowers and shade together, that makes everything prettier and cooler

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email sasc@ufl.edu.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Shade can be beautiful when provided by a flowering tree