Hametownshoppes Gardener: Cherry Trees Great Early Spring Blooming Trees

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Cherry Trees Great Early Spring Blooming Trees

　
With blossoms totally covering the branches, the Flowering Cherries (Prunus) are probably one of the showiest and earliest of spring flowering trees.

Depending on the variety of flowering cherry, blossoms may be either white, shades of pink, or deep pink. Varieties of cherry trees may be upright growers, large weeping growers or grafted to be smaller specimens for the home and commercial landscape.
　
Grafted weeping or upright cherries were always a popular selling tree in the garden center; however I always warned the customer, the cherries trees do get large and often times can have some disease problems caused by fungus which could make the tree short-lived. Despite all these drawbacks, the tree was and is still very popular.

To assist you in your shopping I have listed several cherry varieties worthy of your consideration. Again there are many new varieties always being introduced by different tree nurseries.

Okame Cherry (Prunus ‘Okame’) is the tree pictured in the Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival. The Okame has dark red flower buds that are showy and which open into the pink blossom tree which is most familiar of the festival cherry blossom colors.

Kwanzan Cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’) is the largest of the double flowering cherry trees. Some nurseryman describe the Kwanzan Cherry as obtaining heights 30-40 feet and others describe the tree as growing only 12-18 feet. Regardless the Kwanzan Cherry is not a small tree.

Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) is one of the original varieties of cherry trees donated in 1912 by the people of Japan to the people of the United States as a gift of friendship. Most of the original trees have since died and have been replaced by additional varieties. The Yoshino has white flowers and is resistant to drought.

Weeping Snow Fountain Cherry Tree (Prunus x snofozam) is a cherry tree that features long-lasting, pure white blossoms on branches that naturally droop to the ground. The tree is slow growing and small, which makes it perfect for smaller yards or gardens. This species is grafted to different size of trunks to create a trees of varying heights to provide a more formal larger weeping form in the landscape.

Weeping Higan Cherry Tree (Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula’) is not a small tree and can grow 20-30 feet tall with a 15 to 25 feet spread.

The Weeping Higan has light pink almost white flowers and has a graceful weeping habit. Like the Weeping Snow Fountain, the Weeping Higan is sometimes grafted to a taller cherry tree trunk to provide a smaller weeping form in the garden as well offer some dwarfing affect on the parent tree which does get large.