When Do Trees Bloom In Minnesota? (Complete Guide)

Trees in Minnesota start blooming with the onset of spring. However, some trees start blooming around late April to the middle of May, and they are fully matured in the middle of May.

Flowering trees in Minnesota are an essential part of the landscape for the people who live there or are in the state for a vacation. Blooming trees also signify upcoming celebrations and festivals that sometimes go on for more than a month, especially during the state’s favorite pink and orange blooming tree season.

In this article, I will cover the exact time when these trees start blooming, and how to plan your vacation so that you are able to spot them.

I will also cover the best places to go to, if you want to see trees blooming in Minnesota.

Let’s begin.

What Time Of The Year Do Trees Bloom In Minnesota?

When Do Trees Bloom In Minnesota?

Some trees in Minnesota start blooming with the onset of spring in the middle of March, as soon as there’s a slight temperature drop. However, most trees reach full bloom between the end of April and the first couple weeks of May.

Trees usually form their buds as the heat starts withering away around October. During the fall and the winter season, they stay dormant to save enough energy to create intricate structures of the bud.

The buds are not pronounced once the temperature starts dropping. They remain hidden throughout the cold bouts; hence during the winter, you rarely see a blooming tree.

However, as soon as the temperatures increase and the snow melts away, the bud will come back to life and bloom at the appropriate time. 

Usually, it is common to see the trees blossoming with the onset of the spring season. However, Minnesota is the third coldest state in the US, and the average annual snowfall in the condition varies from 36 inches in the southwest to more than 70 inches along Lake Superior.

This is why the blooming period is delayed here more than in other warmer states of the US.

The arrival of the first warm temperature in the last week of April to the first couple weeks of May induces the trees to open their buds. As the temperatures and length of the days increase, the buds also start flowering.

However, due to unseasonal early warm temperatures, trees can sometimes start budding as early as March when it is grey, gloomy, and cold. This is why you can see some blooming trees by the end of March, especially silver maple, blackthorn, crab apple, and wild cherry trees, even before the onset of spring.

The dependency of the flowering trees on climate is heavy and apparent, especially at the start of their blossom period. The autumn season starts at the end of this period, mainly through October, and the leaves and flowers begin to fall to prepare for budding for the next season.

Sometimes, early budding cuts the dormant period short, thus affecting the quality of the crop too.

What Trees Can You See Blooming In Minnesota?

The most common native trees in Minnesota are Eastern Redbud, Festive Sweetgum, Crab Apple, Imperial Honey Locust, Coral Bark Japanese Maple, Hot Cocoa Tree Rose, and Flowering Plums. 

Eastern Redbud, sometimes called the ‘Minnesota Strain,’ is one of the most valuable redbuds among northern gardeners, especially designed and planted to survive through the brutal winters. 

These usually bloom as early as late April, but a cold spell can make them reach their whole bloom period around late May. The rosy pink flowers open before the leaves appear, thus making them the perfect specimens to survive as far north as Minnesota.

Flowering Crab Apple trees have showy spring flowers and brightly colored fruit from late spring through fall. They are usually known for their fragrant springtime blooms and jewel-like fruit, making beautiful additions to the landscape.

With fern-like leaves, allowing it to produce tiny, fragrant spring flowers, Empirical Honey Locust trees, this hardy tree can withstand drought conditions and wind damage which makes it a perfect tree for all seasons long. It usually reaches full bloom by late May every year, after it is warm enough.

Prunus Americana, better known as the flowering plum tree, is one of several native North American plum species and is the most prominent one in Minnesota. These are tolerant of extreme cold, with dormant flower buds surviving temperatures as low as -22°F and blooming towards the end of winter and spring. 

How Long Does It Take For Eastern Redbud Trees To Bloom?

The Eastern Redbud tree is a fast-growing yet short-lived tree that can start to produce flowers as early as its third or fourth year of growth. It has rosy pink flowers that are perfect for the spring bloom.

Eastern Redbud is a northern hardy strain, a tree found in over half of southern Minnesota. It is planted in adequately drained soils that still have good moisture availability.

These usually bloom as early as late April, but a cold spell can make them reach their entire bloom period around late May. The rosy pink flowers open before the leaves appear, thus making them the perfect specimens to survive as far north as Minnesota.

It’s probably best to avoid planting Minnesota Strain Redbuds in soggy wet ground and very sandy or grave soils.

What Are The Best Places To See Blooming Trees In Minnesota?

South-Eastern Minnesota offers a variety of blooming trees during and after springtime. You can often see a variety of blooming trees or plants during the spring festivals that go on around the state, all season long, or even in the neighborhood that are adorned with flowering trees.

The Blue Mounds State Park, situated in Luverne, is one of the most famous tourist attractions. It stays jam-packed all year long for its ethereal beauty, especially during the spring season when it is warm and colorful.

Carley State Park and Whitewater State Park in Altura are other best state parks filled with false rue anemone, hepatica, marsh marigold, pasque flowers, and wild leek during the spring. It is located right on the south of the Twin Cities, which makes it hard to miss.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska is considered the crown jewel of all the gardens of Minnesota. It is also where the selection seeding process for Eastern Redbud was made, which is why you can find numerous trails of pink and purple hepaticas and small white trilliums here.

Final Remarks

There needed to be more information regarding the blooming trees in Minnesota. In this article, I tackled that by creating a definitive guide on the subject.

Let’s briefly go over this topic once again.

When do trees bloom in Minnesota? Trees in Minnesota start blooming with the onset of spring. However, some trees start blooming around late April to the middle of May, and they are fully matured in the middle of May.