Sounds like a job for Maackia amurensis. If that doesn't sound quite right, how about Viburnum prunifolium? Malus??

You can increase your chances with the redbud if you pick a variety other than forest pansy. Most are quite tough in my experience, but FP is not particularly hardy. Some sweetbay magnolia varieties are very tough and hardy as well.

A maple would probably commit suicide in such a position. What about a conifer? Nut since you want flowers, maybe Malus floribunda? It has pretty blossom that is crimson in bud, opens up to pink and then gets paler and paler. It's one of my favourite blossom trees.

Keep in mind this is still zone 6 folks.

I wouldn't limit yourself because of the winter winds. I don't know your orientation but based on the NW winds off the water you're likely south of a bay making it even less of a concern.

None the less the winds off the water are moist and aren't as damaging as dry winter winds. Perhaps someone in your area can speak better to this but its one of the reasons why MI is a zone hardier off the lake MI compared to WI as you have the prevailing NW winds coming across the moist usually warmer water.

Crataegus can take strong, salt winds, at least they do here.

imo.. all the foo foo redbuds are less hardy than the standard green ...

you might also look to variegated trees ... that dont necessarily flower ...

ken

crab apple

I love my Forest Pansy's but they break in high wind. They handle full sun well with supplemental watering but if one of those strong spring storms come through before I get them pruned early in the year I lose limbs. My species redbuds don't break at all.

I have heard anecdotal evidence that 'Merlot' is stronger and more hardy as it is a Canadensis/ texensis cross, but haven't tried it yet- I plan to when a spot opens up.

I have never had any wind breakage on any of my Kousas or crabapples.

If you go with a crab choose the variety carefully with regard to the size of the fruit. My 'Robinson' has tiny, inconspicuous fruits you hardly ever even notice while my mom's has huge fruit that has to be picked up. They make some dandy jelly but it's still a pain. Robinson blooms deep pink and the leaves nearly always have a tinge of red to them- it's a lovely tree.

Thank you everyone! It's great to get all of this input. To answer tete_a_tete, yes confiers are definitely part of the plan - mugo pine, some different juniper shrubs, and I'm looking into a Japanese Black Pine, that I'd like to try and train into something bonsai-ish.

There are some other trees naturally growing around, including oaks and black cherry, and another that I haven't identified yet. All thrive in this spot. So with all the conifers and these other green deciduous trees around, I was really aiming for something different to stand out from all the green (thus the interest in purple or crimson).

I hadn't heard of the Merlot variety of redbud, that's definitely worth a look. I see Monrovia describes it as having a mature height of 12-15' which may be a tad short to accomplish what I'm trying to do (something that would assuredly hit 20', but not go much further, would be better). I also just read that Merlot is more upright, whereas I'm looking for more of a wide canopy form.

Regarding the cold winds... the W/NW winds really pickup over the adjacent harbor and hit us hard, sometimes for days on end. Maybe there's a little bit more moisture in them being on the water, but regardless the windchill is real bad. I used to live on the other side of the harbor (mainland side), and often would forget to disconnect my outside spigot hoses in late Fall and sometimes left them on all winter... never had a problem. At the new house, I was similarly casual and left the hoses connected, and we had a cold-snap the first week of December - all 3 froze & burst (was horrible - learned my lesson). The takeaway is that we're in a microclimate that's more like VT/ME/NH conditions during winter, rather than a typical Boston area suburb. It's tough. I do have the lawn/shrub treatment company spray antidessciant on my shrubs every season.

Plants don't feel windchill per se.

None the less Maackia amurensis is a good one mentioned above but no fall color. However its metalllic looking bark, emerging silver leaves and flowering when few others flower makes up for it.

Seven Son Flower is another nice one but the canopy will likely top out more along 15'-20' wide. They are much larger than what the web typically says, even in WI.

Mine is (and was) exposed to dry NW winds and where temps can easily get to -20 degrees.

A nursery near me has Merlot Redbud, at a cost of $500 for a 7-8' tree! They're charging $400 for something slightly smaller - crazy!! A 5-6' forest pansy is $149 at another place.

Meanwhile, does anyone have experience with "Mt. St. Helens Plum"? The same nursery has one on clearance for $70. Seems like a decent deal on this tree, which tolerates extreme weather well (and has the purple leaves..

https://www.jfschmidt.com/introductions/mt_st_helens/index.html

height vs caliper. there's a point at which all people see is height, but trees are measured in diameter at a certain height above ground level...this height varies according to size. You may be referencing height...but I'm going to guess there's more to it.

Sometimes, where things are grown can make a huge difference in price. For instance, a nursery in MN (zone 3/4) can take two to three years longer to grow a tree to a certain size as compared to a nursery in Illinois (zone 5). Every zone or two, you see another bump in this timeline. So where are things grown? You have declared a tough situation (which is interesting, considering that the criteria you have listed do not include salt spray tolerant)...if part of the pricing difference is locally grown vs imported from TN (not that I have anything against TN...fine place)...but that could account for some of the difference.

then some places are just high priced. There's a nursery close to me that if I ever want an object lesson in how to not run a nursery (love to an infinitve split), I'll visit...among other things, it's an expensive place to shop. I've found the exact same plant, from the same grower, same size, same everything, for 2x the price there as compared to other nurseries...so it's not like there's a msrp on these things.

There are going to be a wide range of trees that are quite possible. Check your local places...but in doing so, know that you in the wrong part of the year to see the full range of possible selection to choose from. If you find something you like, so be it. Enjoy. If nothing really wows you, wait til spring when the selection would be at it's best.

Stephen, you mention that there are mature native trees growing naturally in your area. This is an important observation and provides a partial answer to your question. Each of these trees began life as a seedling and had to fight the elements in early life which allowed them to adjust and harden to harsh growing conditions. I am familiar with the ocean wind situation you describe. Worked with it for years. Save your dollars and years of grief. Purchase a well shaped, stocky tree start no taller than 15". You will be surprised at how quickly it will begin to grow after a few years of adjusting to the elements.

Crab apple is a good choice. Whatever you choose, if growing space allows, a grouping of young lilacs planted about 30' to windward of your tree selection would provide additional color and act as a partial windbreak.

General rule of thumb is that small leaf species are more wind tatter resistant than large leaf species.

The majority of Prunus species are short lived and plagued with disease. The only prunus species I'd consider is P. sargentii.

Thanks again for all the extensive advise everyone. I ended up taking a chance with the Mt. St. Helens, Prunus ‘Frankthrees', which I found on clearance. I called up the grower who developed the cultivar, and asked a lot of questions. They thought the tree would do good in the proposed location. I guess we'll see. I'll post an update next year!

https://www.jfschmidt.com/pdfs/mt_st_helensplum.pdf

Just s heads up this is a sport of Newport and will likely decline in 10 to 15 years. They are one of the shortest lived species out there.

Hopefully not a long term planting for a prominent location?

Ditto to whaas, unfortunately. That species (cerasifera) is a powerful magnet for insects and disease.

Dax

I've been researching a similar question..my my parents live in a windswept part of Massachusetts.

Be warned. As others have said, redbud isn't very cold tolerant, and Forest Pansy is far less tolerant of cold winters then locally sourced wild strains.
Also, Black Pine is *VERY* vulnerable to disease in coastal Massachusetts...my parents lost ALL their black pine to turpentine beetles and Pine Wilt Nematode. I'd suggest pitch pine or white pine as substitutes.

American Persimmon doesn't make showy flowers but I'd agree it works. What about Winter King Hawthorn?

I suggested Crataegus some way back in the thread. They are very hardy and survive along the Atlantic coasts here where they stand up to salt gales even if they do grow into gnarly windswept shapes.

That'd be a bummer about the Mt. St. Helen's plum tree... based on the verbiage on the sell-sheet - "stronger, sturdier trunk", "very hardy ornamental", "performs well where climates are extreme", I didn't take away any impression that this would be a weak tree that would die in 10yrs. Deceptive sales?? I will follow-up again with the grower and see how they answer on lifespan & mortality. The tree is in the ground now, so all I can do is try to care for it and hope for the best. It is in the back, not front of house - so if it's gone in 15yrs we can just start over. This time I'll have a lot more candidates in the bullpen though. Thanks for the Crataegus suggestions, I really wanted a tough short tree with red, purple, or crimson leaves during the growing season (not green).

Also bummer about the Black Pine disease & pest risk. I just bought one of those and that's in the ground now too. Wondering if horticultural oil in the springtime will help with the bugs.

ALL purple leaf plums share similar issues. Like many other deciduous Prunus species, they are plagued by insect and disease issues, with some locations being more heavily affected than other. And they are as common as mud, being inexpensive and initially quite showy, so beloved by contractors looking for a fast, cheap way to dress up a landscape. Mt. St. Helens is no worse nor no better than any other selection.

Hardy usually refers to ability to resist cold...the problem with prunus is insects and disease. And just plain life expectacy.

Most small flowering trees are a little short lived. The key is to think of your landscape as a movie, not a static photograph. Plant something slow growing and long lived near your short lived trees. A copper beech would be just taking off when the plum starts to die.

It might help your Black Pine if you make sure there is no dead pine branches around. The bugs that plague them are attracted to the smell of dead or injured pine.

You have a lot going on with Black pine. If it's a seedling then you have roots that you want. The problem with Pinus thunbergii is humidity. That's where your plant will first become weakened. Then it's a chain of events. The humidity will lead to foliar diseases which upon insects will become attracted (immune system is failing) and when the species can't hack it anymore it will eventually die. Now that being said, if you bought a grafted Pinus thunbergii and do not know what the roots are that it is grafted onto, you may not have a compatible root-system for your soil.

That attraction to Japanese black pine because of salt tolerance can easily be thrown out the window if it's not on Japanese black pine roots.

Pines are easily grafted on other species, and that is what I'm talking about. No matter what though, whichever root system is in place, the foliage of Pinus thunbergii/Japanese black pine will not tolerate in the long run humidity. That pine will shut down just like that Prunus you bought. 15-years tops. You may get six or eight good years out of it before the needle issues fully develop.

Sorry to pass along the bad news. There are people chiming in on this thread like myself that have been doing this stuff nearly 100% as a hobby/line of work for a long time or a very long time.

Dax