Maybe ugly was a strong word, let me rephrase. My criticisms with this tree are a mixed. So now it's bare of any leaves and clear for anyone to see it's branches, which are spread out and thinly placed. Actually a very nice natural form for a tree, if only the main trunk wasn't split into 3 or 4 huge stalks. Very airy and wonderful to look at, I even see some caterpillars use it for a host plant. It's a huge tree probably 50 feet tall and all it produces for a flower is some tiny little spud that blends in with the bark. It's only when I happened to be walking next to the thing that I realized they were flowers. And there are so few of them all spread out all over the tree, perhaps it's not healthy?
When compared with other trees such as the Redbud, which often has bright pink blooms bursting out every nook of the tree, it just doesn't compare.
Image of Redbud taken from the Internet (Not Mine)
http://www.kennedyscountrygardens.com/redbud3.jpgMaples that bloom later in the year though do look better. The contrasting color with the leaves and tendency to produce more flowers helps. Maybe I'm being to quick to judge the current Maples blooming now though.
