7 Great Flowering Trees For North Carolina

Are you looking to plant some truly breathtaking flowering trees and shrubs in your home garden in North Carolina? Well, you’d be pleased to know that the Tar Heel State has no shortage of tall and short trees with exquisite blooms. Read on to discover the best flowering trees in North Carolina with Purple and pink flowers! 

Home to the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina is blessed with a versatile landscape that extends over three regions – Piedmont, the Coastal Plain, and the Appalachian Mountains.

All of these regions boast spectacular landscapes and have varying climates, flora, and soils. With a humid, sub-tropical climate, with sultry summer and mild winters, North Carolina is home to some of the best flowering trees in the US.

Apart from the Red Maple, Yellow Poplar, Oak, and Loblolly Pine, which are the common trees found in North Carolina, the Tar Heel state is home to some of the most brilliant Magnolias, showy Redbuds, and ethereal Dogwoods. 

The best part about planting flowering trees in your NC garden is that these shrubs and trees will become the central attraction of your lawn. Their beautiful blooms will attract birds, bees, and butterflies to your home garden. 

They will also please your guests to no end! This is particularly true of flowering trees with stunning purple and pink blooms, such as the Japanese Magnolia, ‘Lipan’ Crape Myrtle, Purple Orchid Tree, and Empress Tee. 

So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at seven striking flowering trees in North Carolina!

Pink Flowering Trees in North Carolina

1. Japanese Magnolia

  • Magnolia liliflora
  • Flowering in: Late Winter to Mid-Summer
  • Height: Late Winter to Mid-Summer 8-12 ft
Magnolia liliiflora Nigra
Moonik Magnolia liliiflora

Japanese Magnolia is a deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub with a sprawling, rounded habitat. It features alternate, obovate to elliptic-ovate, lustrous dark green leaves. It produces upright, nine-petaled, pointed, slightly fragrant pink or reddish-purple flowers with pale purple or white insides. This tree grows best in full sun to part shade and moist, organically rich, slightly acidic, well-drained soils. 

2. Eastern Redbud

  • Cercis canadensis
  • Flowering in: Spring
  • Height: 30 ft
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JumpStory Eastern Redbud

Eastern Redbud is an elegant, multi-trunked tree with horizontal branches that make up a rounded crown. It produces showy clusters of stunning, long-lasting, rosy-pink flowers. It has pretty foliage of heart-shaped reddish to dark green leaves that turn bright canary yellow in fall. This tree thrives in various degrees of sun exposure and most types of soil. 

3. ‘Lipan’ Crape Myrtle

  • Lagerstroemia
  • Flowering in: Summer and Spring
  • Height: 35 ft
crape myrtle lagerstroemia flowers
Yay crape myrtle – lagerstroemia flowers

‘Lipan’ Crape Myrtle is a showy, upright, deciduous shrub with a spreading habitat. It produces a profusion of large clusters of crinkly lavender-pink flowers. It has a pretty, ornamental, smooth bark and foliage of dark green leaves that turn red and orange in fall. This disease-resistant tree grows well in adequately moist, well-drained soils and full sun. 

4. Yuletide Camellias

  • Camellia sasanqua
  • Flowering in: Winter
  • Height: 8-10 ft
Camellia Sasanqua
Chihiro H Camellia Sasanqua

Yuletide Camellias is an upright, evergreen shrub with a compact habitat and arching, cascading branches. It features glossy, dark green foliage and masses of single, bright red or deep pink, perfectly-shaped flowers with contrasting golden stamens in the center. This tree will thrive in part shade and moist, organically rich, acidic, well-drained soils. 

Purple Flowering Trees in North Carolina

1. Jacaranda

  • Jacaranda mimosifolia
  • Flowering in: Spring and Summer
  • Height: 60 ft
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Yay Jacaranda tree

Jacaranda is a breathtaking flowering tree that is native to Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. It’s a fast-growing tree with a rounded, spreading habitat. It produces eight inches-long clusters of blue-lavender, tubular flowers with white throats. It features large, divided, fernlike bright green leaves. This hardy tree grows well in moderately fertile, well-drained sandy soils. 

2. Purple Orchid Tree

  • Bauhinia variegata
  • Flowering in: Spring
  • Height: 35 ft
Bauhinia variegata
JumpStory Bauhinia variegata

Native to India and China, Purple Orchid is a small-sized tree with a spreading, rounded canopy. It produces orchid-like, fragrant purple flowers. It features two-lobed light green leaves that turn yellow or orange in fall. This drought-tolerant tree thrives in full sun to partial shade and moist, highly acidic loams or sandy soils. 

3. Paulownia Tree

  • Paulownia tomentosa
  • Flowering in: Spring
  • Height: 30-40 ft
Paulownia tomentosa Empress Tree
treehelp.com Paulownia tomentosa – Empress Tree

Also known as Empress Tree, Paulownia is an Eastern Asia native. It’s a fast-growing, invasive tree with a brittle bark and a dense crown that provides abundant shade. It features large, heart-shaped, green leaves and huge, upright clusters of tubular, lilac-blue, fragrant flowers. This drought-hardy tree grows well in moist, deep, well-drained soils.