How Long Do The Cherry Blossoms Stay In The Brooklyn Botanic Garden

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Bursting into life at this time of year, blossom trees such as crab apple and flowering cherries, with their clouds of pink and white petals, are among the most inspiring sights of the changing season. Look for those small enough to grow in modest-sized gardens, or even in pots.

The versatile crab apple tree

At the start the year, crab apple tree boughs (pictured above) are heavy with frothy, candy-coloured blooms, and then when the fruit comes, many varieties provide a fabulous display of colour that will continue from autumn into winter.

Thanks to its beautiful, delicate pink buds that open to fragrant white flowers, Malus 'Evereste' is a go-to tree for lots of garden designers. It can grow to 26ft so needs a fair-sized garden and should thrive in moderately fertile soil, tolerating partial shade. For small-to medium-sized spaces or for containers, 'Adirondak', which has waxy white flowers, is a good choice.

4 crab apple trees to buy

Crabapple tree

Crab Apple 'Evereste'

thompson-morgan.com

£31.99

Crabapple tree

Crab Apple 'Adirondack'

thompson-morgan.com

£79.99

Crabapple tree

Crab Apple 'Prairifire'

Apple thompson-morgan.com

£29.99

Crabapple tree

Crab Apple 'Coralburst'

thompson-morgan.com

£79.99

Ornamental selection: cherry blossom trees

low angle view of cherry blossoms in spring

Anna Maria Greco / EyeEm Getty Images

Flowering cherries are very easy to grow and produce wonderful blossom. For small gardens, two vase-shaped cherry blossoms, Prunus 'Snowgoose' and 'Sunset Boulevard', are ideal.

Prunus 'Snowgoose' will grow well in a moist, chalky soil, the large flowers are almost grey-white. 'Sunset Boulevard' is well-suited to moderately fertile soil in full sun – the dark buds open to reveal white flowers edged with pink. A third smaller tree is Prunus 'The Bride', which enjoys similar growing conditions. In March and April, the pale pink buds open to a froth of large single white flowers with a vibrant deep red centre.

4 cherry blossom trees to buy

cherry blossom tree

Prunus Snow Goose Cherry Blossom Tree

cherry blossom tree

'Sunset Boulevard' Cherry Blossom Tree

cherry blossom tree

Prunus 'The Bride'

cherry blossom tree

Prunus incisa 'Kojo-No-Mai'

thompson-morgan.com

£11.99

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16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration

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RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space

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Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere

Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners,Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.

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National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts

National Trust amazon.co.uk

£14.99

The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.

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Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month

Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.

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The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening

Monty Don offers straightforward gardening advice in this book, revealing the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically. You can also enjoy a tour of his Herefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.

Plants book

RHS Practical House Plant Book

The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.

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Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers

Ten Speed Press amazon.co.uk

£12.35

A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn't have to sacrifice style. InSmall Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.

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Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1

No Dig Garden amazon.co.uk

£18.65

Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.

Plants book

In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round

Kyle Books amazon.co.uk

£16.28

Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round withIn Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.

Garden book

RHS Complete Gardener's Manual

The RHS'Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.

Garden book

Wildlife Gardening: For Everyone and Everything

Bloomsbury Wildlife amazon.co.uk

£10.19

Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? InWildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything,Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.

Plants book

My House Plant Changed My Life: Green wellbeing for the great indoors

Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.

Garden book

RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space

If you're looking for new garden ideas, theRHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.

Garden book

How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening

Lorenz Books amazon.co.uk

£11.29

This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.

Plants book

RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers

Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.

Garden book

Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest

Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd amazon.co.uk

£12.55

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