Spring Brings Blooming Beauty to Missouri

Every spring Missouri’s landscape comes alive in shades of pink and white. Redbud trees usher in the new season with masses of tiny pink blossoms decorating delicate branches. Soon after, dogwood trees brighten the hillsides with brilliant white flowers. Missourians love the showy blooms so much, the flowering dogwood was named the official state tree in 1955.

As native understory trees, redbud and dogwood are fairly inconspicuous much of the year, but for a few short weeks, from mid-April through early May, they put on an unforgettable show. Depending on the weather, they sometimes bloom simultaneously in a double burst of color.

The trees grow in most parts of the state, but they thrive in large numbers throughout the Ozarks, especially along wooded slopes, bluffs and ravines. They flourish in many Missouri State Parks(link is external), including Lake of the Ozarks, Bennett Spring, Truman Lake, Echo Bluff and Table Rock Lake.

You can find them in Mark Twain National Forest(link is external), the Ozark National Scenic Riverways(link is external), Missouri Conservation Areas(link is external) and along secondary roads in the southern half of the state. A springtime hike, road trip or float trip on one of Missouri’s crystal-clear rivers is the best way to enjoy the beauty.

Redbud and dogwood can also be seen in botanical gardens and parks across the Show-Me State.

See more than 250 native flowering dogwood trees (Cornus florida)  at the  Missouri Botanical Garden (link is external)in St. Louis. The park is also home to several other dogwood varieties in its English Woodland and Japanese gardens.

At Powell Gardens(link is external), 30 minutes southeast of Kansas City in Kingsville, the Dogwood Walk provides a shaded path lined with dozens of flowering trees, including several types of dogwood. The Woodland and Stream Garden includes more dogwood as well as redbud.

The Springfield Botanical Gardens(link is external) at the Nathaniel Greene/Close Memorial Park is home to the Redbud Gazebo, surrounded by a variety of redbud species. The park’s Azalea Garden features dogwood and other flowering trees.

Dogwood Canyon Nature Park(link is external) is a prime spot for viewing its namesake tree. Located near Branson, the park offers guided hikes each spring to see the beautiful blooms. Or you can explore on your own on the park’s hiking, biking and equestrian trails.

Several Missouri towns celebrate Missouri’s treasured state tree. The Dogwood Festival in Camdenton showcases the blooms that fill the hills and valleys around the Lake of the Ozarks each spring.

The Southeast Missouri town of Charleston combines dogwoods with azaleas for an event that has been named one of the best spring flower festivals in America. A highlight of the Dogwood-Azalea Festival is a 6-mile trail lined with the flowering trees and bushes.

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