Flowering Cherries

While the briefness of their glory has to be				'Kofugen'
acknowledged, cherries really are the hardy				'Kofugen' has graceful semi-weeping branches and
spring-flowering trees for temperate climate				a fairly compact growth habit. Its flowers are not
gardens. I can think of no others, apart from their				really single but semi-double, though the two
close Prunus relatives and some of the magnolias				whorls of petals are flat rather than ruffled, so
that even come close to rivalling flowering				the effect is not that easy to see.
cherries for sheer weight of bloom and vibrance				'Shirotae' ('Mt. Fuji')
of colour.				This beautiful tree has a spreading growth habit
The genus Prunus, to which the cherries, plums,				that in the best specimens shows distinctly tiered
almonds, apricots and peaches belong, includes				branches. Its flowers, which are white and
around 430 species spread over much of the				semi-double on mature plants, start to open
northern temperate regions and has a toehold in				before the foliage expands. They are pleasantly
South America. Although including a few				scented.
evergreen species, such as the well-known cherry				'Takasago'
laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), the genus is mainly				Although possibly a Prunus × sieboldii
deciduous and generally hardy to the frosts likely				cultivar, 'Takasago' is now more widely listed
to occur in most New Zealand gardens.				under the satozakura cherries. It bears clusters of
The genus Prunus is widely recognised as being				semi-double pink flowers with bronze-red new
divided into 5 or 6 subgenera, though some				foliage.
botanists prefer to recognise these as distinct				'Ojochin' ('Senriko')
genera. The subgenus cerasus is the one to which				This tree, rather squat when young, but
the cherries belong. This group includes a wide				eventually 7m tall bears single white flowers in
variety of species, many of which are not highly				such profusion as to give the impression of double
ornamental. The species which are of most				blooms. Opening from pink buds, the flowers are
interest to gardeners are the Chinese and				up to 5cm in diameter and among the later to
Japanese cherries, not only because they tend to				bloom. 'Ojochin' means large lantern, which aptly
be the most attractive, but also because they				describes the shape of the flowers.
tend to be reasonably compact, often have				Other hybrids, species and their cultivars
attractive autumn foliage as well as spring flowers				'Accolade'
and because centuries of development in oriental				One of the most popular of all garden cherries,
gardens have produced countless beautiful				'Accolade' is a Prunus sargentii × Prunus
cultivars.				subhirtella hybrid that develops into a flat-topped
The Japanese recognise two main groups of				small tree. In spring it is smothered in pendulous
flowering cherries: the mountain cherries or				clusters of large, bright pink, semi-double flowers.
yamazakura and the temple or garden cherries,				Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis)
the satozakura. The mountain cherries, which tend				Well-known as an avenue tree, this Prunus
to have simple flowers, are largely derived from				subhirtella × Prunus speciosa hybrid is
the original Mountain Cherry (Prunus serrulata var.				smothered in white to very pale pink blooms in
spontanea), Prunus subhirtella and Prunus incisa.				spring before or as the new leaves develop.
They are mainly cultivated for their early-blooming				When the flowers are spent they form drifts of
habit, which is just as well because their rather				fallen petals around the base of the tree. There
delicate display would be overwhelmed by the				are several cultivars, such as the pink-flowered
flamboyance of the garden cherries.				'Akebono', the pale pink 'Awanui' and a weeping
The garden cherries are the result of much				form ('Shidare Yoshino' or 'Pendula').
hybridisation, mostly unrecorded, so we can't be				Taiwan cherry (Prunus campanulata)
exactly sure of their origins. Prunus serrulata (in its				The Taiwan cherry is valued for its early-flowering
lowland form) and Prunus subhirtella also feature				habit and fiery autumn foliage. The flowers, which
largely in their background. The other major				are usually a vivid deep pink, are heavy with
influences are Prunus sargentii, Prunus speciosa,				nectar and very popular with birds. Taiwan cherry
Prunus apetala and possibly the widespread Bird				is rather frost tender, though once established it
Cherries (Prunus avium and Prunus padus). The				grows well in most coastal areas.
result of these old hybrids and modern				'Okame'
developments is the wealth of forms that burst				Introduced in 1947 by the British authority
into bloom in our gardens every spring.				Collingwood Ingram, 'Okame' is a hybrid between
Regretfully, that complex parentage and those				the Taiwan cherry and the Fuji cherry (Prunus
centuries of development and countless cultivars				incisa). It is usually quite hardy, though this
combined with Western misunderstandings of				appears to be variable, and it flowers heavily in
Japanese names and multiple introductions of the				early spring. The blooms open in late winter to
same plants under different names has led to				early spring before the foliage develops and are a
considerable confusion with the names of				bright soft pink. 'Pink Cloud' is a similar though
flowering cherries.				more compact cherry raised by Felix Jury.
Most of the popular garden plants are lumped				Himalayan hill cherry (Prunus cerasoides)
together under three general headings:				This species is rather frost tender, especially
1. Prunus subhirtella cultivars and hybrids;				when young, but is a beautiful tree where it
2. Sato-zakura hybrids;				grows well. Not only does it produce pink flowers
3. Hybrids no longer listed under parent species,				in winter, when little else is in bloom, it has
being instead regarded as just to difficult to				attractive banded bark and the unusual habit of
classify in that way.				shedding its foliage in late summer then producing
But however you view them, flowering cherries				new leaves before winter. The variety rubea has
have so much to offer that a little confusion over				deeper pink flowers in spring.
naming and identification shouldn't stand in the				Cyclamen cherry (Prunus cyclamina)
way of your including them in your garden. And				Flowering on bare stems in early spring, the
now that many of them are available as				cyclamen cherry is a hardy small to medium-sized
container-grown plants that can be bought in				tree from central China. The flowers, which are
flower, it's really just a matter of choosing the				rose pink, are followed by bronze new growth
flowers you like.				that retains its colour for some weeks before
Nevertheless, it's nice to know exactly which plant				greening. The leaves fall late in autumn and often
you're dealing with, so that you can be sure of its				colour well.
performance and size. While most of the larger				Sargent's cherry (Prunus sargentii)
nurseries and garden centres take care to supply				This large and very hardy Japanese species is
plants that are true to type, make sure on first				probably best known as one of the parents of
flowering that your cherries match their label				the very popular hybrid 'Accolade'. It can grow to
descriptions. Misidentification, or perhaps				as much as 18m tall and will withstand at least
misrepresentation, is common.				-25°C. Its 3 to 4cm wide, bright pink flowers
Plants				are complemented by red-brown bark.
Prunus subhirtella cultivars and hybrids				Kurile cherry (Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis)
Although the flowers of Prunus subhirtella are				Usually little more than a large shrub, this Japanese
usually small and fairly simple, they appear from				cherry can reach 6m tall under ideal conditions.
early winter well into spring, depending on the				The flowers, which are soft pink and open from
cultivar. Not only that, the cultivars themselves				early spring, are backed by red sepals that hang
are long-flowering, often being in bloom for three				on for a while after the flowers have fallen, thus
weeks to a month. There are many cultivars, but				prolonging the spring colour.
most are similar to, or forms of the two main				Prunus × sieboldii
types listed below.				This hybrid has given rise to several popular
'Autumnalis' ( 'Jugatsu Sakura')				cultivars. The original cross is a slow-growing small
This is the most reliable winter-flowering form. It				tree with semi-double 3 to 4.5cm wide flowers in
often starts to bloom in late April to early May				spring. The new stems are often very glossy.
and can carry flowers right through until mid				Cultivation
September. It seldom produces a massive burst				Flowering cherries are largely undemanding plants
of bloom, rather sporadic clusters of flowers. This				that thrive in almost any well-drained soil. For the
is just as well because the flowers are damaged				best display of flowers they need to see at least
by heavy frosts. The flowers of 'Autumnalis' are				half-day sun and if sheltered from the wind, the
white to pale pink opening from pink buds; those				blooms and the autumn foliage will last far longer
of 'Autumnalis Rosea' are the same but with a				than if exposed to the full blast of the elements.
deep pink centre.				Cherries are often seen growing as lawn
'Pendula' ('Ito Sakura')				specimens, but they can be planted in shrubberies,
Prunus autumnalis tends to have weeping				borders or small groves. By choosing a selection
branches and 'Pendula' is a cultivar that				that flowers in succession, it's possible to have
emphasises this feature. Its flowers are usually				bloom from mid-winter to early summer.
pale pink and open in late winter to early spring.				Cherries are natural companions for azaleas and
'Falling Snow' is a cultivar with pure white flowers,				rhododendrons, and can be used to beautiful
while those of 'Rosea' are deep pink.				effect as shade trees for the smaller varieties of
Sato-zakura hybrids				these or to shelter a collection of woodland
'Fugenzo' ( 'Shirofugen' )				perennials such as primroses and hostas. Japanese
'Fugenzo' was one of the first, if not the first,				maples also blend well with cherries and they can
Japanese cherry to be grown in European				combine to make a brilliant display of autumn
gardens. It 's origins can be traced back to at				foliage.
least the 15th century. Its flowers are white to				Pruning
very pale pink, opening from pink buds, and when				Flowering cherries seldom need major pruning
fully open how two conspicuous green leaf-like				once established. Young trees can be lightly
pistils in the centre of the flower.				trimmed to develop a pleasing shape and mature
'Taihaku'				plant may be kept compact by tipping the
'Taihaku' , also known as the great white cherry,				branches, otherwise just remove any vigorous
has white flowers up to 5cm across. It grows to				water shoots and suckers that sprout from the
at least 8m tall with a wider spread and its				rootstock. Make sure that any pruning is done in
flowers open at the same time as its bronze				summer to prevent infecting the trees with silver
foliage expands, making a pleasant contrast.				leaf fungus (Chondrostereum purpureum).
Thought to have been lost to cultivation, this				Although this disease is present throughout the
cultivar was identified in Sussex garden from an				year, cherries are most resistant to it in summer.
old Japanese print.				Pests and diseases
'Ukon'				Apart from the already mentioned silver leaf,
Although 'Ukon' mean yellowish, this cultivar has				there isn't really very much that goes wrong with
very distinctive pale green flowers and is one of				flowering cherries that can't be tolerated. Sawfly
the few unmistakable cherries. Its foliage develops				larvae (peach or pear slug) sometimes cause
purplish tones in autumn. The unusual flower colour				damage to the foliage, and older plants
contrasts well with the likes of 'Sekiyama'.				sometimes suffer from dieback in their older
'Amanogawa' ('Erecta')				branches, but these are seldom serious problems.
'Amanogawa' grows to around 6m tall, but only				The dieback is sometimes the result of Armillaria,
around 1.5m wide, and has pale pink single flowers				so it may be advisable to insert some of the now
with a freesia-like scent. It blooms in mid-spring				readily available Trichoderma dowels into the
and in autumn the foliage develops striking yellow				trunks of any older cherries to prevent the
and red tones.				problem developing.
'Shogetsu' ('Shugetsu', 'Shimidsu-zakura')				Propagation
'Shogetsu' flowers late and produces pendant				Virtually all of the fancier flowering cherries sold
clusters of white, double flowers that open from				for garden use are budded or grafted, usually
pink buds. The flower clusters are up to 15cm				onto Prunus avium stocks. Although few home
long, which makes a tree in full bloom an arresting				gardeners attempt them, these processes are
sight, especially considering that 'Shogetsu' is not a				not difficult. Budding especially, is straightforward
large tree and that its weeping habit means it can				and is carried out in exactly the same way as
be covered in bloom right down to the ground.				budding roses.
'Sekiyama' ('Kanzan')				Species, including the standard Prunus avium
Certainly among the most popular cherries and				stock, can be raised from seed or from
most often sold under the name 'Kanzan',				softwood cuttings taken in spring or early
'Sekiyama' has a relatively narrow, upright growth				summer. The seed should be removed from the
habit when young but eventually develops into a				fruit by soaking for few days until all the flesh has
spreading 12m tall tree. Its flowers, which are pink				fallen away. It is usually best to simulate winter
and very fully double, are carried in pendulous				conditions by chilling the seed for a few weeks
clusters of five blooms. They open from				before sowing.
reddish-pink buds. The foliage has a slight red tint.				Graft height
'Ariake' ('Dawn', 'Candida')				When buying flowering cherries you may be
This cultivar grows to about 6m tall and flowers in				faced with a choice of graft height. Which you
spring as the foliage develops. The young leaves				choose largely depends on the cultivar and the
are a deep bronze shade that contrasts well with				type of growth best suited to your garden. With
white to very pale pink flowers.				weeping cherries choose the highest graft possible
'Kiku-shidare' ('Shidare Sakura')				(usually 8ft [2.4m]), to allow the maximum length
'Kiku-shidare' is similar in flower to 'Sekiyama', but				of flowering branch. Upright cultivars like
it has a weeping growth habit. It is a small tree				'Sekiyama' are best grafted near ground level so
and is often smothered in bloom from the				that their erect habit has a chance to develop
topmost branches down to near ground level. The				properly, while graft height in not that important
flowers can each have up to 50 petals.				with bushier trees.
'Pink Perfection'				The important thing to remember, particularly
'Pink Perfection' was introduced in 1935 by the				with high grafted plants, is that the main stem will
famous English nursery Waterer Sons and Crisp.				not gain much height from the grafting point. The
It is a probable 'Sekiyama' × 'Shogetsu'				stems of a weeping cultivar may grow up before
hybrid and has flowers that show characteristics				arching down, thus adding some height, but if you
of both parents; the clustered blooms of				choose too low a graft that won' t make much
'Shogetsu' and the pink of 'Sekiyama'. The flowers				difference. Low-grafted weeping cherries are,
are very fully double and the young foliage is				however, ideal for large tubs where they can be
coppery.				kept trimmed to shrub-like proportions.

MyGarden

Flowering Cherries

Articles