Ornamental Cherries are deservedly one of the popular flowering trees for the small or medium garden. They come in a wonderful variety of shapes and sizes, and include several quite small trees, so that you’ll find one for almost any garden, however big or small. They are easy to grow: hardy, disease resistant, generally pest free and needing little or no pruning. Some also attract butterflies to the garden, providing food for the caterpillars or nectar for the adult butterflies.
Table of Contents
Most Ornamental Cherries, of the genus Prunus, originate in Japan, although there is one native English species, the white flowered Bird Cherry Prunus padus. One or two native European and American species are also cultivated by gardeners.
For most prunus species, the main flowering period is from March to May, although one, Prunus autumnalis, carries delicate pink or white blossoms on its bare branches from October or November right through until March. But in Britain most ornamental cherries are at their very best in April, covered in an abundance of sumptuous flower, both single and double, from the purest white, through every shade of pink to crimson-red.
Specialist nurseries like Barcham Trees of Ely and good garden centres offer a wide range of flowering cherries. Some of the most popular and interesting are:
Big bold double pink flowers in late April. The foliage is a lovely copper tint when young. Unpruned height up to 8 metres and spread to 6 metres.
Single or semi-double white flowers in late April, and coppery young foliage. Size as for Kanzan.
Big clusters of clear pink flower in late March. Notable for its bright autumn leaf colour, the bronze red young leaves turning orange and crimson in early autumn. Size as for Kanzan.
Fairly unspectacular white flowers in April. Grow this instead for its splendid, shining, bright red-brown peeling bark. Size as for Kanzan.
Abundant soft pink flowers in April and May. This is a particularly good tree for a small space, with a columnar shape like a small Lombardy Poplar or Cypress, up to 8 metres tall but no more than 2 – 2 ½ metres in spread.
Deep pink double flowers crowd the arching, trailing branches in March and April. Rarely more than 4 meters high, most specimens can be kept much smaller by pruning if space is restricted.
Pendulous spikes of white flower in spring, with glossy red mature leaves. Height 3 metres spread 2 ½ metres.
Abundant semi-double white flowers and attractive red and purple autumn leaves. Height 6 metres spread 3 metres.
Actually a flowering plum, but included here because its deep pink cherry-like flowers and bronze leaves are so lovely, and also because it’s so small at 1 ½ metres height and spread that you can easily grow it in a pot on a patio. It also makes a beautiful hedging plant.
Other Ornamental Trees for the GardenFor added colour in you garden at other times of year why not consider the later flowering lilac, holly for its glossy leaves and bright winter berries, and acers or maples for their attractive foliage and bark, and brilliant autumn colour.
Most homeowners have probably spent hours looking at the different types of garden seeders. You may have even come across…
When it comes to vehicle lovers, cleaning their cars on a regular basis is essential to maintaining the paint job's…
Gas chainsaws are the perfect tool for a variety of outdoor tasks, including chopping up logs for firewood, clearing brush…
A home can be a daunting project, one that takes some time and energy to maintain. With hard work, determination,…
Today ginger is grown all over tropical and subtropical regions in Asia, in parts of Africa and South America, and…
Onions are one of the most popular vegetables in the world, and growing onions is a snap in the home…