With spring in the air what is most noticeable, are the shades of pink flowers bursting out in Maryville, Tennessee. I am here on holiday and the place is already warming up rapidly, bringing out the beautiful colours of spring. But strangely the flower colour most prevalent where I live is pink.

As I wash up the dishes in the sink after breakfast, I can see the tulips outside, a beautiful baby pink just below the bird feeder. They are two varieties planted by my son and grand- daughter. One with the regular curved petals which form an oval cup, typical of tulips. They semi-open during the day and sort of close up at night. The rich pink blooms of ‘Pink Impression’, which is a hybrid are bound to make an impression, whether used in the landscape or as a cut flower. Their robust stems and giant blooms make them exceptionally beautiful among tulips. “'Pink Impression' will continue to flower year after year, as they are perennial,” said my busy son. “This variety also is famous for its delightful fragrance.” There's nothing like closing your eyes and breathing in the sweet fragrance after giving them a dash of water on a hot morning.

Down the road from the house, towards the cul-de-sac, is a Kwanzan flowering cherry tree. It has consistently remained the most popular flowering cherry tree in the world, says a flower website. The showy, bright pink flowers grow in huge orb-shaped clusters which appear to be floating around the tree in the springtime. These world-renowned flowers are at their peak at the moment in the circle, in the centre of the locality. There are several dotting the landscape all over Tennessee, which have been planted and matured over time. According to the same site, a little known fact is that the leaves turn to become beautiful shades of red and orange in autumn, making the Kwanzan tree much more than just a floral springtime beauty. What makes me wonder is the adaptability of these exotic trees, which grow all across the colder part of the world.

One can never forget the first time one sees the beauty of a redbud tree in full bloom. The eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)grows throughout most of the eastern U.S. The morning sun was shining on a group of nearly a dozen redbuds with flowers fully unfurled, setting off a spectacular show of pink fireworks, as I went on my morning run.Clusters of tiny magenta buds then swell into showy rosy pink flowers, before the leaves appear, with the long-lasting blossoms putting on a show for two to three weeks.
The buds appear to emerge right from the bark of twigs and branches and even on parts of the trunk, adorning the entire tree with miniature clusters of flowers. The horizontal branching pattern of the redbud tree, adds to their interesting shape and they made an attractive canopy for the tulips growing below them.

The redbud is also a compact tree and resilient in nature, so from the numbers blooming everywhere, including the highway, it is one of the most popular small trees for residential gardens.

A number of homes have the Magnolia soulangeana (saucer magnolia) which is a hybrid plant in the Magnolia family. It is a deciduous tree with large, early-blooming flowers in various shades of white, pink, and purple. Makes it ideal for small gardens,the tree does not grow too huge and so many have been planted in front gardens. All the flowers are in different shades of pink, making it a wonderful addition to the front of the homes around.