Two trees come into flower at the same time  in early spring. The Common Pear has white flowers and the Norway Maple has green flowers. Viewed from a distance one tree looks white and the other green.

The Norway Maple is native to Europe, from Scandinavia to the Caucasus. It was introduced to Britain in 1683 and is now commonly found in gardens, streets and parks. It is one of the first trees to look green in spring, when its green flowers open before the leaves. It has the 5-lobed leaf typical of the Maple family but differs from the Field Maple and Sycamore in that its lobes and teeth have finely pointed tips. It has a winged fruit like all maples but the wings hang down at an angle whereas on the Field Maple they are flat.

The tree is one of the first trees to go green in spring but not with new leaves. Green flowers appear before the leaves and give the tree a green appearance in March or early April. The flower clusters burst out of the bud before the leaves.

Young tree bark.

Magnolia trees and shrubs are members of a very large genus containing between 120 and 230 species depending on the classification system used. The genus is named after the French botanist Pierre Magnol. It is an ancient genus with ‘primitive’ flowers adapted for pollination by beetles. The petals, for example, are known as tepals because the sepals and petals are indistinguishable. This is a feature common to plants that appeared early on in the evolution of Flowering Plants. Magnolias are important horticulturally. They are now sold worldwide and many new varieties have been developed. They are grown for their beautiful flowers and their striking foliage.

Magnolia trees and shrubs identification by flowers and leaves. Two common Magnolias, the Saucer Magnolia and Star Magnolia flower in Spring and the Southern Evergreen Magnolia flowers from midsummer. 

The Southern Evergreen Magnolia Magnolia grandiflora, also known as the Southern Magnolia or Bull Bay, is a large evergreen tree native to Southeastern USA. It was introduced to Britain in 1734. It is now common in warmer parts of Britain, where it was originally grown against south-facing walls. It has large, dark green leaves and beautiful white flowers.

Each Southern Evergreen Magnolia flower  has 9 to 16 white tepals. They surround the yellow anthers and styles of the sexual parts of the flower. Flowers start to appear in midsummer and continue to appear until late autumn. Photo taken in July

The Southern Evergreen Magnolia leaves are large, glossy and bright green when young.