The earliest is the cherry plum, Prunus cerasifera, which has been in flower for a month, struggling with the weather.
The natural species has white flowers but the pink forms are more often seen in gardens. These have coppery leaves that turn purple and are often known as purple plum.
Also early, the flowering almond, Prunus dulcis, has large pink flowers in clusters along the bare branches on a well-shaped tree.
It is delicately beautiful in flower but not seen all that often. It has long narrow leaves and sometimes carries green, hard, peach-like almond fruits.
The Japanese apricot, Prunus mume, has white or pink flowers on the slender green twigs and there are lovely pink-red forms too, such as ‘Beni-chidori’.
The Chinese peach or David’s peach, Prunus davidiana, flowers early with large white or pale pink flowers, but it can be damaged by frost as it flowers so early and it is not seen all that often.
Truly outstanding
Among the early-flowering cherries, Conrad’s cherry, Prunus conradinae, is truly outstanding.
It is very reliable, even though it flowers early in the spring. It is covered with a mass of lovely pink flowers and the leaves afterwards are very well-shaped as cherry trees go.
The Fuji cherry, Prunus incisa, is an early cherry with small white flowers but masses of them, opening from pink buds. There are lovely pink forms of this species too, and ‘Kojo-no-mai’, a small twiggy cherry tree to two metres.
The Fuji cherry is one of the parents of Prunus ‘Okame’, a small tree with drooping clusters of pink-rose flowers along the relatively upright branches.
This is a real beauty and very reliable, and relatively easy to find.
Autumn/Winter
The weeping willow cherry, Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula Rosea’, is a magnificent tree with pendulous flowers on weeping branches, a relative of the winter-flowering cherry,
‘Autumnalis’ which flowers in autumn and in fits and starts during winter mild spells. The famous Yoshino cherry, Prunus x yedoensis, is said to be Japan’s favourite cherry, and central to their cherry blossom celebrations of life.
It flowers in March with blush-white flowers opening from pink buds, slightly drooping and carried profusely along bare branches of arching character, a broad, relatively flat-topped tree.
Many of the great Japanese cherries retain their Japanese names. The best-known and most widely planted, although probably a little over-planted, and too garish for a rural setting, is ‘Kanzan’ or ‘Kwanzan’, a powerful grower.
It can reach over 10 metres tall and, wide with branches that strike upwards as a young tree and then become more arching or level-topped with bronze young leaves and double pink flowers.
‘Kursar’ is a very beautiful, less vigorous kind with bronze new leaves and deep pink flowers. ‘Tai haku’ is also known as the ‘great white cherry’, because of its large size with single pure white flowers.
‘Shirofugen’ is a big tree, broad and spreading, with masses of white flowers, double and large, that turn to soft pink before they fall.
This is not as big as the others mentioned, usually less than eight metres and somewhat wider.
‘Shogetsu’ is smaller and more easily accommodated – a real beauty to about five metres. It is remarkable for its drooping frilly flowers, held on long stems, pink and white fading as they age.
‘Hizakura’ is another relatively small kind, reaching about six metres, with spreading habit, flowers semi-double deep rose pink, very beautiful.
‘Shirotae’, also known as ‘Mount Fuji’, is a superb variety with pendent white flowers along horizontal branches, scented, and often single on young plants, becoming semi-double on older specimens, and about six metres tall and wide.
Prunus sargentii has very beautiful single pink flowers. There are other kinds that contribute to the parade, every spring cherry does!
Ground conditions in the garden have been very bad after a lot of rain in winter and early spring.
Some parts of the country have been wet since last year and it has not been possible to do any digging, except for a brief period of a few days some weeks ago. It has also been a cold spring and many plants are behind their annual progress.
Ground conditions in the garden have been very bad after a lot of rain in winter and early spring. Some parts of the country have been wet since last year and it has not been possible to do any digging, except for a brief period of a few days some weeks ago. It has also been a cold spring and many plants are behind their annual progress.But we have reached the spring equinox and there are now days longer than nights and things can turn around very rapidly.
Temperatures are rising and ground conditions change much more quickly than even a couple of weeks ago. Best to be ready to make progress when it happens!
Read more
Five gardening jobs to do this week
Gardenig: Daffodils in difficulty
The earliest is the cherry plum, Prunus cerasifera, which has been in flower for a month, struggling with the weather.
The natural species has white flowers but the pink forms are more often seen in gardens. These have coppery leaves that turn purple and are often known as purple plum.
Also early, the flowering almond, Prunus dulcis, has large pink flowers in clusters along the bare branches on a well-shaped tree.
It is delicately beautiful in flower but not seen all that often. It has long narrow leaves and sometimes carries green, hard, peach-like almond fruits.
The Japanese apricot, Prunus mume, has white or pink flowers on the slender green twigs and there are lovely pink-red forms too, such as ‘Beni-chidori’.
The Chinese peach or David’s peach, Prunus davidiana, flowers early with large white or pale pink flowers, but it can be damaged by frost as it flowers so early and it is not seen all that often.
Truly outstanding
Among the early-flowering cherries, Conrad’s cherry, Prunus conradinae, is truly outstanding.
It is very reliable, even though it flowers early in the spring. It is covered with a mass of lovely pink flowers and the leaves afterwards are very well-shaped as cherry trees go.
The Fuji cherry, Prunus incisa, is an early cherry with small white flowers but masses of them, opening from pink buds. There are lovely pink forms of this species too, and ‘Kojo-no-mai’, a small twiggy cherry tree to two metres.
The Fuji cherry is one of the parents of Prunus ‘Okame’, a small tree with drooping clusters of pink-rose flowers along the relatively upright branches.
This is a real beauty and very reliable, and relatively easy to find.
Autumn/Winter
The weeping willow cherry, Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula Rosea’, is a magnificent tree with pendulous flowers on weeping branches, a relative of the winter-flowering cherry,
‘Autumnalis’ which flowers in autumn and in fits and starts during winter mild spells. The famous Yoshino cherry, Prunus x yedoensis, is said to be Japan’s favourite cherry, and central to their cherry blossom celebrations of life.
It flowers in March with blush-white flowers opening from pink buds, slightly drooping and carried profusely along bare branches of arching character, a broad, relatively flat-topped tree.
Many of the great Japanese cherries retain their Japanese names. The best-known and most widely planted, although probably a little over-planted, and too garish for a rural setting, is ‘Kanzan’ or ‘Kwanzan’, a powerful grower.
It can reach over 10 metres tall and, wide with branches that strike upwards as a young tree and then become more arching or level-topped with bronze young leaves and double pink flowers.
‘Kursar’ is a very beautiful, less vigorous kind with bronze new leaves and deep pink flowers. ‘Tai haku’ is also known as the ‘great white cherry’, because of its large size with single pure white flowers.
‘Shirofugen’ is a big tree, broad and spreading, with masses of white flowers, double and large, that turn to soft pink before they fall.
This is not as big as the others mentioned, usually less than eight metres and somewhat wider.
‘Shogetsu’ is smaller and more easily accommodated – a real beauty to about five metres. It is remarkable for its drooping frilly flowers, held on long stems, pink and white fading as they age.
‘Hizakura’ is another relatively small kind, reaching about six metres, with spreading habit, flowers semi-double deep rose pink, very beautiful.
‘Shirotae’, also known as ‘Mount Fuji’, is a superb variety with pendent white flowers along horizontal branches, scented, and often single on young plants, becoming semi-double on older specimens, and about six metres tall and wide.
Prunus sargentii has very beautiful single pink flowers. There are other kinds that contribute to the parade, every spring cherry does!
Ground conditions in the garden have been very bad after a lot of rain in winter and early spring.
Some parts of the country have been wet since last year and it has not been possible to do any digging, except for a brief period of a few days some weeks ago. It has also been a cold spring and many plants are behind their annual progress.
Ground conditions in the garden have been very bad after a lot of rain in winter and early spring. Some parts of the country have been wet since last year and it has not been possible to do any digging, except for a brief period of a few days some weeks ago. It has also been a cold spring and many plants are behind their annual progress.But we have reached the spring equinox and there are now days longer than nights and things can turn around very rapidly.
Temperatures are rising and ground conditions change much more quickly than even a couple of weeks ago. Best to be ready to make progress when it happens!
Read more
Five gardening jobs to do this week
Gardenig: Daffodils in difficulty
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