No garden is complete without the splash of color that a flowering tree provides. In spring, summer, and even beyond these trees can produce incredible displays that will improve the overall look of your property.
While USDA hardiness zone 10 may be unusually hot compared to lower zones in the US, there are plenty of gorgeous blossoming species that do well in warmer regions. You’ll find that many exotic species hailing from the likes of South America, Australia, Asia, and more will thrive here.
These 10 trees are excellent choices of flowering trees for zone 10, so take note before planning your garden.
10 Flowering Trees That Thrive in Zone 10
1. Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana)
The Pineapple Guava may not be a common sight outside of South America and New Zealand, but that doesn’t detract from its many positive qualities.
This delightful evergreen is easy to grow and can be trained into a small tree or shrub. It has a white habit and eyecatching gray-green leaves with soft white undersides.
Undeniably the most notable features of the Pineapple Guava are its fruits and flowers. Its fruits are very aromatic and have a strong tropical and sweet-tart flavor. The flowers are also edible but are largely used for ornamental purposes due to their bright crimson stamens and pale red petals.
The Pineapple Guava tree can be used as a specimen plant, screen, or hedge. For best results, it needs full sun exposure and consistently moist soil with regular watering. They are fairly drought resistant when established but a lack of water will affect flower and fruit production.
Other Common Names: Feijoa, Guavasteen, Guava, Acca sellowiana
Growing Zones: 8-10
Average Size at Maturity: 10-15 feet tall, with a similar spread
Flowering Season: Summer
Available at: Nature Hills
2. Jerusalem Thorn (Parkinsonia aculeata)
Add a burst of color to your property with the Jerusalem Thorn, a native of the southwestern US and northern Mexico.
This deciduous tree has an attractive open habit, scaly bark, and tiny pinnately compound leaves that grow on long, sparse green stems. Its flowers are golden yellow and smother the tree in color through the entirety of spring and into early summer.
This native tree is also relatively fast-growing and can be planted as a specimen and hedge plant. Its flowers and seed pods are highly attractive to birds, other pollinators, and small mammals. Plant it in full sun with neutral to alkaline well-draining soil.
In some parts of the world, particularly Australia and other parts of the South Pacific the Jerusalem Thorn is highly invasive. Though it is appropriate to grow in the continental US, gardeners in Hawaii should avoid planting this tree.
Other Common Names: Paloverde, Mexican Paloverde, Horsebean, Jelly Bean Tree
Growing Zones: 8-11
Average Size at Maturity: 15-20 feet tall, with a 20-25 foot spread
Flowering Season: Spring to Summer
3. Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata)
Grown as a shrub or small tree, the Silver Wattle is an evergreen Australian native that grows best in warm climates with long summers and mild winters, making it perfect for many zone 10 landscapes!
Its small blue-green pinnate leaves look attractive all year round, but its flowers are the real stars of the show, erupting in clouds of fragrant, fluffy yellow flowers that look like tiny pom-poms.
While it is known for being hardy and fast-growing, the Silver Wattle is also short-lived – it has an average lifespan of just 50 years.
It can be added to mixed borders and garden beds and grows well in containers. They are typically resistant to pests and disease, but pay attention to signs of spider mites, mealy bugs, and scale.
Plant the silver wattle in a sheltered location with full sun and well-draining soil with a neutral to acidic pH.
Other Common Names: Blue Wattle, Mimosa, Winter Mimosa
Growing Zones: 9-11
Average Size at Maturity: 40-50 feet tall, with a similar spread
Flowering Season: Late Winter to Early Spring
4. Moonglow Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana ‘Jim Wilson’)
One of the most excellent cultivars of the Sweetbay Magnolia, the Moonglow is a heat-tolerant and adaptable variety that was patented and first sold in the US back in 2001.
While it shares many qualities with its parent tree, it is distinguished by its narrow upright habit, vigorous growth, improved cold hardiness, and larger blossoms.
Its flowers are its most ornamental quality, with its creamy white blossoms providing your garden with stunning floral beauty and a pleasing citrus fragrance through the latter part of spring and the entirety of early summer.
Another distinguishing feature of the Moonglow is its semi-evergreen foliage, which will remain on the tree year-round in zone 10.
The Moonglow is unlikely to face any serious pest or disease issues. It can be used as a specimen tree, or in shrub borders and foundation plantings.
Plant in full sun to partial shade in moist, rich, acidic soil. It will even tolerate wet soil, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder.
Growing Zones: 5-10
Average Size at Maturity: 15-35 feet tall, with a 10-20 foot spread
Flowering Season: Late Spring to Late Summer
Available at: Nature Hills
5. Royal Crimson Cherry (Prunus avium ‘Royal Crimson’)
If you’re looking for an attractive flowering tree that also produces tasty, useful fruit, and grows well in zone 10, then the Royal Crimson Cherry might be exactly what you’re looking for.
In spring this delightful fruit tree will fill your backyard with clouds of pure white blossoms, contrasting nicely with its bright green foliage.
And of course, you can’t forget the cherries! As a self-pollinating tree, you only need one Royal Crimson to produce buckets of bright red delicious fruits that are excellent for fresh eating, baking, and preserves. And even if you don’t plan to eat them, they look gorgeous on the tree and provide sustenance for local wildlife.
You can plant the Royal Crimson as a specimen, accent, hedgerow, or shelterbelt. This cherry tree is typically unfussy about soil type or pH level, but full sun, rich well-draining soil, and proper pruning will all help to keep it healthy and bountiful.
Other Common Names: Sweet Cherry, Mazzard Cherry
Growing Zones: 8-10
Average Size at Maturity: 15-18 feet tall, with a 12-15 foot spread
Flowering Season: Spring
Available at: Nature Hills
6. Flannel Tree (Fremontodendron califoricum)
In terms of looks, the Flannel tree is a really delightful and unusual flowering addition to your garden. This California native has a sprawling and irregular habit with lobed leaves and incredibly bright yellow saucer-shaped flowers. It can be used as a focal point or hedge or added to a shrub border.
The Flannel tree is a hardy heat and drought-tolerant species and virtually no pest or disease issues. Once established it can grow with no supplemental water – in fact, regular watering can kill the tree! Avoid planting it anywhere with poor-draining soil or excessive moisture.
One important feature to keep in mind before planting the Flannel tree is its foliage. Each leaf has a felted underside covered in tiny hairs that can seriously irritate your skin and eyes.
If you do decide to plant the Flannel tree, keep it at a careful distance and plant away from pathways and other walking areas.
Other Common Names: Fremontodendron, Flannelbush, California Flannelbush
Growing Zones: 8-10
Average Size at Maturity: 10-18 feet tall, with a 7-10 foot spread
Flowering Season: Spring
Available at: Nature Hills
7. Summer Chocolate Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’)
This flowering tree offers more than just its blooms as a decoration for your landscape, it also has equally eye-catching foliage!
This Mimosa cultivar has the signature silky pink pom-pom flowers of the Mimosa tree, as well as its graceful pinnate foliage that grows in shades of deep purplish-brown, a color that has earned it the name ‘Summer Chocolate’.
This tree also has a vase-shaped growth habit and wide-spreading, umbrella-like canopy that provides dappled shade in the hottest parts of the year in zone 10. You can also use it as a specimen and accent, or in a shrub border.
Make sure you plant it in a location with as much consistent sunlight as possible and provide moist, well-draining soil.
Like the Mimosa tree, this cultivar can be somewhat invasive, though not to the same extent. Make sure to check its status in your area before planting.
Growing Zones: 7-10
Average Size at Maturity: 15-20 feet tall, with a similar spread
Flowering Season: Summer
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
8. Pink Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum ‘glutinosum’)
A vastly underrated ornamental native is the Flowering Currant, and the Pink Flowering Currant cultivar especially so. This bushy shrub has a slightly drooping canopy of bright green highly textured leaves, and in early to mid-spring it comes alive with pendulous clusters of pink and white flowers.
Once its spring display fades it is replaced by blue-black berries that are tart but edible, and though you probably won’t eat them fresh they can be cooked into jams, jellies, and more.
Unsurprisingly its flowers and fruits are highly attractive to local birds and other pollinators, so it makes an excellent wildlife tree. It can also be used as an accent, an anchor in your foundation planting, and even a small screen or hedge.
The Pink Flowering Currant is an easy grower and should be planted in full sun to partial shade and fertile, well-draining soil. In zone 10 you may need to provide afternoon shade.
Other Common Names: Pink Currant, Winter Currant
Growing Zones: 6-10
Average Size at Maturity: 6-10 feet tall, with a 5-6 foot spread
Flowering Season: Spring
Available at: Nature Hills
9. Oleander (Nerium oleander)
History-loving gardeners may just fall for the Oleander, a tree that has been growing on virtually every continent for thousands of years! This ancient species grows as a small tree or large shrub and is decorated with dark, leathery evergreen leaves.
In spring and fall, it is festooned with delicate bright pink flowers that bring the aroma of apricots to your garden.
There are plenty of varieties of Oleanders that produce different colored flowers too, from red to yellow to white. But regardless of cultivar, all Oleander trees boast an incredible hardiness and a tolerance to certain adverse conditions. They tolerate heat, salt spray, wind, drought, and more.
However, the Oleander does have one fatal flaw – all parts of the plant are highly poisonous, according to the Clemson Cooperative Extension, and even simple contact can trigger severe allergic reactions and skin irritation.
Make sure to use gloves when tending the tree and plant away from pathways, sidewalks, and other areas that people and animals frequent.
Other Common Names: Nerium, Kaner, Rosebay, Rose Bay, Rose Laurel
Growing Zones: 8-10
Average Size at Maturity: 6-20 feet tall, with a 6-10 foot spread
Flowering Season: Early Summer to Early Fall
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
10. Pink Heartbreaker Weeping Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Pink Heartbreaker’)
Eastern Redbud trees are famous for their beautiful looks and wide range of appealing cultivars, and the Pink Heartbreaker is one of the most versatile and heat-tolerant of all of them. And with a name like that, who could resist?
The Pink Heartbreaker has a stunning weeping growth habit, with long branches that sweep gracefully toward the ground. Its branches are more numerous than most other cultivars, which lends a rambling, irregular look to it that is guaranteed to add real personality to your landscape.
And of course, the truly showstopping element of this cultivar is its profuse bright pink spring flowers that cover its branches. Along with its iconic heart-shaped leaves and canopy, it looks great in every season.
Plant the Pink Heartbreaker Weeping Redbud in full sun and moist, well-draining soil. When young it can be trained to a taller height by tying its uppermost limb to a central stake.
This tree is a great choice if you are landscaping your front yard, they can help make your house look more expensive.
Growing Zones: 5-10
Average Size at Maturity: 8-10 feet tall, with a similar spread
Flowering Season: Spring
Available at: Fast-Growing-Trees & Nature Hills
Stunning Seasonal Colors For Your Property
You really can’t go wrong planting flowering trees on your zone 10 property (as long as they aren’t invasive to your region)!
From the classical beauty of the Moonglow Sweetbay magnolia to the unusual but stunning coloring of the Summer Chocolate mimosa, these trees offer a plethora of landscaping choices.
But keep in mind that for many flowering trees, planting them anywhere is not always an option. Do what you can to foster the best flower production each year by choosing a planting location with full sun exposure, and fertilizing as often as needed.
Under the right conditions, you are guaranteed to have a stunning annual color show.
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