This sun shading pinkish white Magnolia x Soulangeana tree is a sight to behold. It is a hybrid flowering plant belonging to a Magnolia tree type called Deciduous magnolias with saucer flowers. It is one of the most popular Magnolias of this type and blooms flowers in shades of white, pink and purple. This is the first saucer Magnolia created by French horticulturist Étienne Soulange-Bodin from crossing Magnolia Denudata and Magnolia Liliiflora in France in 1820.
Because of its beauty and easy maintenance, a lot of houses have this type of Magnolias in their front (and back) yards, big or small. The flowers bloom in April and May, and can last up until summer.
Called Forsythia, this bright yellow tree belongs to the Olive family and is named after William Forsyth, a Scottish botanist and one of the founders of Royal Horticultural Society. Next to it is Magnolia Heaven Scent, also a hybrid of Deciduous type. This one is crossed by Drury Todd Gresham in Sta. Cruz, California in 1955.
Another beautiful Spring tree that is grown aplenty here is the Cherry blossom or Sakura tree. While native to Japan, this tree easily grows in cold countries like the Netherlands. There are also a hundred variety to beautify a garden, street or park. Pictured here is Tai-haku or ‘Great White’ in the genus Prunus. Planted alternately with a pink variety called Sargentii or Sargent’s Cherry along the main road perpendicular to our street, these cherry blossoms make our roads and neighborhood look lovelier and nicer.
At the corner of our street, this soft pink Sakura tree variety called Prunus Serrulata ‘Kanzan’ greets each passer by.
These are some of the flowering trees here in our neighborhood in Zeist. I took these photos with my Nikon D60 (Magnolia Soulangeae and Kazan) and iPhone SE (Forsythia, Heaven Scent and Taihaku) between 16.00 and 17.00 hours on the first Sunday and second Saturday of April. The weather on both days was between 15 and 17 degrees, warm sun and fresh wind. A perfect day to walk and enjoy the trees!
PHOTOS © 2017 | Consie Lozano | the Netherlands
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