The yellow shrubs that you're seeing everywhere are forsythia.

The flowering tree that you are seeing might be a Manchurian Azalea aka Azalea mucronulatum. There's one at a house about a mile and a half from me that is simply breathtaking. I was just looking around and really couldn't find many good pictures of them on the internet except for the link that I've included below. You have to scroll down that webpage a bit to find it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Azalea Mucronulatum

If the shrub you saw has leaves as well as flowers, it could also be PJM hybrid Rhododendron. They are in bloom now in some spots because of the warm weather last week. The leaves look dark green now. If there are NO leaves but ONLY blossoms, then it probably is Azalea mucronulatum as tree oracle said above.

{{gwi:5901}}

Could it have been a redbud? Are they blooming yet in RI?

I thought of Redbud too, but I haven't seen any bloomed just yet (although this year nothing would surprise me!). But she said it was only four feet tall, so that's why I don't think it is. But then again, she called it a "tree".

{{gwi:5901}}

Thanks for all the replies.

No, the tree has flowers only - no leaves. I think they grow leaves after they bloom.

tree_oracle

yes the color is like in this picture, but the flower is totally different from the one in this picture. The flower is much smaller then the one on the picture and it looks like a lots of small flowers together - give you a cotton/clouds feeling - we could not get a closer look since we were driving by. And now I think again, the tree is between 4ft to 6 ft. and the trunk of the tree is more straight then the one on the picture, basically it's like 4 or 5 trunks straight up and then there are all the flowers on the branches on the top of the trunks. Wish I could not give a more specific description.

oh, and I think last week or this week would be their peak time of blooming.

flowering quince?

Is it an Okame cherry tree? My neighbor across the street has two of them blooming right now and they have that cloud-like look that you are talking about. They also have the hot pink color to which you are referring.

I've seen some purple leaf plum and purple leaf sandcherry blooming up here already. Could it be one of those? They're early like everything else this year.

mostly like redbud or okame cherry tree. redbud is closer. (I could be wrong too).It says redbud flowers before most tree shows their new leaves... is redbud native to new england? I would think any tree in the replies we plant would make my daughter happy. Thanks a lot...

It is not redbud because they are not yet blooming in southern New England yet. They bloom at the same time as the Flowering Dogwood. I live on the south coast...not far from southern RI and the dogwoods and redbuds are not blooming. Moreover, although the redbud is planted in southern New England, it is not a native.

I'm guessing purple sandcherry. I've seen some around CT this past week.

pink to purple shades flowering sand cherry or flowering almond, I believe my neighbor has one in bloom now.

Ron