Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is a variety of small trees and shrubs that will fit into almost any yard add a dramatic interest because of their striking foliage. They are native to Japan, Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Although known primarily for their dazzling fall colors many varieties also have a very colorful spring foliage as well — as seen in the various varieties here and one of the first deciduous trees to emerge in leaf before the rest.

Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud (Cercis canadensis)

The beautiful, lavender flowers and weeping branches of this small tree are striking and hard to miss in early spring. Hummingbirds and butterflies flock to its fragrant branches. As spring transitions into summer, large, dark, heart-shaped leaves cover the plant for the rest of the growing season. This versatile accent tree can be an asset to almost any landscape.

Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) is a familiar spring-blooming creeping plant that is frequently seen growing on rocks, crevices in stone walls, or planted as a flowering ground cover. It spreads slowly, growing in mounds that get 4–6 inches thick. The whole plant turns into a carpet of color in spring, when flowers cover every square inch of foliage. It attracts butterflies and is considered to be relatively deer-resistant ground cover.

Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula) is a very rare ornamental tree that grows to about 25 feet in height. It is known for having a striking coppery bark and is native to China. It is not expected to be invasive due to its higher susceptibility to fire blight, Japanese beetle feeding and powdery mildew. The blight cankers hide well in the flaking bark as seen in picture and should be pruned out with sterilized bypass shears once discovered.

A beautiful spring lawn! The grass is greener when we take care of it. Almstead has been taking care of this lawn since 2015 and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved with it year after year. We offer three separate comprehensive lawn care programs: Organic Based, Pure Organic, and Traditional. There are unique benefits to each of these programs. A certified Almstead Lawn Care professional can help determine what’s best for your lawn with you based on your desired level of management and aesthetics.

Crabapple Tree (Malus ‘Van Eseltine’) is an ornamental tree that is perfect for gardens with limited space. It is known for its beautiful display of pink flowers that open in late April to mid-May. Fruits are small ornamental reddish-yellow apples that birds love to eat

Azaleas are beautiful deciduous flowering shrubs in the genus Rhododendron that bloom in the spring. The flowers of these spectacular ornamental shrubs are typically funnel shaped and have five stamens. Fertilizers can provide the special nutrients they need in the best ratio to provide healthy foliage and beautiful blooms. The Azalea bushes in the pictures (sent to us by a happy customer) were sick and not doing well a few years ago, but after we started deep root fertilization they started to thrive and now look amazing.

Crabapple (genus Malus) is a beautiful specimen tree that is perfect for any garden. It has hundreds of cultivars and colors and blooms in spring with a profusion of fragrant flowers. They are closely related to apple trees, but with smaller edible fruit. They may also differ in leaf color, growth habit, flowering time or flower color. Crabapple trees can grow to be 40 feet tall, and possess distinct white, pink, or red petals when in bloom. Some crabapple varieties bloom relatively early, others bloom mid- season and some bloom towards the end of crabapple season.

Leatherleaf viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum) is a large, rough textured shrub from China. It has excessively wrinkled and heavily veined leaves that are dark green with gray undersides. It is good as a background plant or for mixed shrub borders. It has slightly fragrant, creamy white flowers in spring that are held in cauliflower shaped clusters. The plant can grow to 15 feet high and as wide, so it needs to be planted only where there is enough space.

A nice spring landscape with a tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) in the background and a pin oak (Quercus palustris) in foreground.

P.J.M. Rhododendron (Rhododendron 'P.J.M.') are shrubs with showy spring flowers — usually in shades of white, pink, purple and red. These charming plants have small trusses of bright lavender-purple blooms that contrast with their small, dark green leaves. It is an excellent choice for borders, mass plantings, or containers. P.J.M. Rhododendrons do not require much pruning but removing spent flowers promotes new growth.

Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica), also known as European beech, are deciduous trees that grow slowly but develop into sturdy, low-maintenance shade trees. They can be grown as a hedge or individually to offer any landscape showy foliage and dramatic impact. This 250+ year old Copper Beech tree, located in historic Morristown, NJ, is reputed to be one of George Washington’s favorite trees when he was encamped there with his troops during the winter of 1779. It is 75 inches in diameter and an invaluable historic and legacy tree.

Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is both a shade and ornamental tree and known for its showy flowers in May. This large tree (it grows to 50'-75' high, with a 40'-70' spread) has an elliptical shape. It is perfect for residential areas as well as for city streets since it tolerates urban conditions well. The beautiful 5”-12" oblong clusters of white flowers have a yellow and red tint at their base. Leaves are light green as they unfold, emerging dark green at maturity.

Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa) also known as Japanese Dogwood is tougher than the native flowering dogwood when it comes to disease and pests. It is an excellent choice for both home landscapes and urban areas. The tree typically grows 15-30’ tall with a well-defined rounded form. It is considered both a flowering tree and an ornamental tree and offers year-round visual enjoyment. In spring (May-June) it has a profusion of flowering blooms that are not real petals but modified leaves called bracts which surround the small flowers.

Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana) is a small, low-branched tree with large, saucer-shaped flowers. It is a hybrid of the Magnolia heptapeta and the Magnolia liliiflora, which are both native to Japan. It is considered to be one of the most flowering trees in the United States, and planted wildly in both America and Europe. The fragrant early-spring blossoms are white shaded with light to deep pink or purplish-pink. Big, broad leaves are dark green, and the smooth bark is silvery-gray