Flowering cherry

About Flowering cherry

Flowering cherries are Asian trees grown for spring clouds of white or pink blossoms. Yoshino cherry, the most planted cherry around Washington, DC, has single white to pale pink flowers, while 'Kwanzan' has heavy clusters of double deep-pink flowers. Both are fairly short-lived and want sun, good drainage and good air flow.

Yoshino and Japanese flowering cherry are both rated for zones 5-8 (NC State).

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Plant container or balled-and-burlapped trees. Container trees can go in any time the ground can be worked, but fall is the best season in the South because roots keep growing through mild weather (Clemson). Dig the hole no deeper than the root ball and at least twice as wide, keep the top roots level with the soil, and mulch 2-4 inches without touching the trunk. Choose a sunny, airy spot to cut down on disease. The thin bark is easily damaged, so keep mowers and string trimmers away. Japanese flowering cherries often live only 15-20 years (NC State).

Soil

Moist, well-drained loam; they do not tolerate poorly drained soil (NC State).

Test the soil first. Loosen a wide planting area and mix 10-20 percent compost into the native soil you dig out; don't use uncomposted bark, and don't dig deeper than the root ball (Clemson).

Feeding

• Spring to early summer, after the tree is established, and only if a soil test or pale leaves and weak twig growth show a need: slow-release nitrogen fertilizer with a ratio near 3-1-1 or 3-1-2 (3-0-1 or 3-0-2 if the soil test shows enough phosphorus). Spread it evenly from just outside the trunk flare to the dripline and water it in. Clemson cites 2-4 lb of slow-release nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft per year, split into a spring and a late-summer feeding; follow your soil test.

First-year watering matters far more than fertilizer: water daily for the first 1-2 weeks, every 2-3 days until week 12, then weekly, using about 1-1.5 gallons per inch of trunk diameter, until the tree is established, roughly 1.5 years per inch of trunk (UMN). Don't count on rain unless it was over an inch. Avoid soggy soil and wounds to the thin bark from mowers or trimmers (NC State). Too much fertilizer can burn roots and push soft growth that pests and cold injure (Clemson).

Harvest

Blooms in spring, about late March-April; Yoshino flowers last about 2-3 weeks. No deadheading needed. Yoshino sets small black fruits in summer; most Japanese flowering cherry cultivars set little or none (NC State).

Varieties (9)

NC State documents these Yoshino and Japanese flowering cherry cultivars.

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Scale insects, Twospotted spider mite, Leafhoppers, Japanese beetle, Eastern tent caterpillar, Dogwood borer

Diseases and problems

Black knot, Powdery mildew, Leaf spot, Canker, Root rot

In the kitchen

Pets: Toxic to dogs (ASPCA dog plant list: cherry, Prunus species). NC State also flags the leaves, stems and seeds of Japanese flowering cherry as toxic to cats, dogs and horses.