…May: color continues creeping…

   Featured Plant of the Month: May Day Tree, Prunus padus

• Garden Location: Interesting Tree Grove, Picnic Area, Cascades, Garden Canopy, Railroad Garden, Secret/Shade Garden

• Distinguishing Features: The Mayday Tree is one of the most impressive plants in The Gardens during mid-April to May, when it produces highly fragrant, “drooping” white blooms. One of the first trees to leaf out each season, the Mayday Tree’s spring foliage is light green and provides a beautiful backdrop to its white blossoms and a striking contrast to its smooth gray bark. Its elliptical leaves are 2.5 – 5” long and 1.5 – 2” wide, and turn dark green in the summer and yellow, bronze, copper or red in the fall. The Mayday tree produces black, berry-like fruit in mid-summer.

• Growth and Maintenance: With a rounded and globe-like canopy, the Mayday Tree grows 30-40’ high with a spread of up to 20’. It typically has a very low branching pattern and can grow as a multi-stemmed tree, although its ideal form is a single trunk. The Mayday Tree grows in full sun to partial shade, requires low to moderate watering, and is tolerant of most soil types. Both the flowers and fruit of the Mayday Tree are highly attractive to pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds. It is not native to North America but instead hails from Europe and northern Asia.
  May Day Tree
  

Creeping Phlox
Phlox subulata
Garden Railroad

Corsican Violet
Viola Corsica
The Hudson Residence

Saskatoon Serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
Inn, Parking Lot, Conifer Grove, Secret Shade and Deciduous Woodland

Golden Spurge
Euphorbia polychrome
Santa Fe Garden

All photos by The Hudson Foundation