Gardening with Paul: cheery cherry blossom blooms

Flowering cherries are a very welcome addition to our garden as they produce flowers at a time when we need something to cheer the soul. When we conjure up thoughts of cherry blossom we think of the Japanese flowering cherry Prunus, its species and cultivars.

In Ireland, we have our native flowering cherry Prunus avium, commonly known as the Wild or Bird Cherry. It occurs in hedgerows and woodland and is worthy of consideration for planting in our gardens, however, it needs space because it is a large tree that can grow to a height of 25m.

Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ is, as its name suggests, an autumn flowering tree growing to 8m, so again suitable for larger gardens. Its small white flowers are produced in abundance, heralding Christmas and staying until the onset of spring. It presents itself as a seasonal snowy flurry of white. P x s. ‘Autumnalis Rosea’ is the same size and flowering at the same time, however its flowers are a light pink colour.

P. ‘Accolade’ is a smaller tree growing to a maximum of 8m, so suitable for gardens where space is limited. It has double flowers which means the flower has two, three or more layers of petals giving the light pink flower a fuller effect.

Magnificent

P. ‘Kanzan’ has been in the trade for over a hundred years and is perhaps the most recognisable as we see it in old established gardens. It grows to a height of 7m and has the most magnificent double pink flowers.

P. ‘Amanogawa’ is a useful addition to the garden because of its upright shape. It grows to 8m and the flowers are also double, light pink in colour. It is used as a statement plant to frame an entrance with its ‘sentry’ like stature, which is very useful too in formal gardens.

P. ‘Shirotae’ is a small tree growing to 6m with a flat-topped spreading growth pattern. The pure white scented double flowers, appear from mid-April into May.

Not everybody is blessed with large gardens, however, there are many flowering cherry cultivars for small gardens.

Small gardens

I advise people to look at the many Fuji Cherries available today in our garden centres. They are labelled as Prunus incisa and its cultivars. They guarantee a great display and are small to medium growers attaining heights up to 4m.

P. incisa ‘Yamadei’ is white with slightly drooping flowers and even out of flower is a decorative small tree. P. i. ‘Oshidori’ is of a similar size but light pink in colour. It also has the added attraction of double flowers. P. i. ‘The Bride’ is well described in its cultivar name, with its pure white flowers and a deep pink blush in its centres. An excellent wedding present I would imagine.

P. i. ‘Kojo-no-mai’ is very beautiful and slow growing. Our plant is only 900cm in height grown in a pot even though it is now 5 years old. It will eventually attain 3m to 4m in height. It has charming zig-zag branches, which extends its interest through the seasons. Its white flowers are quite small.

With regard to flowering cherries, the list is endless and it is a case of doing some research with regard to the amount of space you can afford to accommodate one.

One word of warning though, do not plant flowering cherries near paved areas as they are surface rooting trees and will disrupt paving or tarmac. Equally, try to position them at the back of planting schemes as they will have an impact on lawns too.

Another lovely feature of the flowering cherry group is that they have good autumn colour of yellow, russet and red.

Pruning is something you to need plan carefully. It is essential to manage the shape of your tree from the day it is planted. You must prune when the tree is in active growth, so after flowering and when in full leaf.

Shorten any growths back to the shape you wish to create. Never allow a situation to arise where you have to remove large limbs as this will usually spell disaster for the tree.

My snowdrops are finished flowering and a friend has told me it is okay to spread them out now. How do I do that? - Mary, Co Roscommon

Yes, you have received good advice from your friend, however, I would recommend not to spread them out individually. Instead lift the large clumps which should by now be out of flower and divide them into a handful size and replant. I think that from a very large clump you should be getting perhaps four smaller clumps to replant.

It is essential, of course, to remove all spent flowers and seed heads as these are not beneficial to the plants. Water well afterwards to establish your new plantings. You will have a larger display to look forward to next year.

Perennials: Perennials are starting to grow again. You can still lift and divide clumps to make bigger groups. For tall perennials, insert stakes now for support during summer. Use cane caps to avoid injury.

Lawns: Continue cutting regularly, which will create a thick sward preventing weed growth.

Climbers: Climbers have now come through the winter and might be hanging free of their support. Prune back wayward shoots or tie-in to the wiring. Feed climbers now.

Weeding: With the ground warming up, weeds will be well ahead of other plants. Now is the time to remove them.