Great white cherry 'Tai Haku'

Sun

Full sun gives the best flowering; tolerates light partial shade.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist while establishing. Once established, water deeply during prolonged dry spells; avoid waterlogged ground.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil that retains some moisture; tolerates clay, loam and sandy soil if drainage is good, and acid to alkaline conditions.

Height

25-40 ft (7.5-12 m)

Spread

25-35 ft (7.5-10.5 m)

Flowers

Mid-spring; large, five-petalled white flowers, often about 2 in (5 cm) across. Usually April in the Northern Hemisphere and September-October in temperate Australia, depending on climate.

Foliage

Large, toothed leaves emerge copper-bronze, turn green in summer, then yellow to orange in autumn.

Growth

Moderate; faster on fertile soil with adequate moisture.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   8 ft (2.5 m)

3. After 2 years

   10 ft (3 m)

4. After 3 years

   11 ft (3.5 m)

5. After 5 years

   15 ft (4.4 m)

About 16 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant with the root flare at soil level and any graft union clearly above the soil.
• Water deeply through dry periods during the first two growing seasons.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root zone, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Feed in spring only if growth is weak or the soil is poor; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in the wind, and remove supports once the roots hold it firmly.
• Remove shoots arising below the graft union promptly.

Pruning. Prune as little as possible, removing dead, damaged or crossing branches in dry summer weather. Avoid routine winter pruning and large cuts, which increase the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker.

Autumn

Plant while the soil is workable and well drained; in very cold climates, wait until spring.

Early spring

Check ties and stakes, renew mulch and begin watering newly planted trees if rainfall is low.

Mid-spring

Enjoy flowering and check tender new growth for aphids.

Summer

Water during prolonged drought and carry out any essential pruning in dry weather.

Late summer

Inspect leaves for cherry slug damage and remove any rootstock suckers.

Late autumn

Collect fallen diseased leaves and check that mulch has not accumulated against the trunk.

• Plant as a lawn specimen where the broad crown and white spring flowers can be seen from the house.
• Use against a dark evergreen backdrop to make the flowers stand out.
• Underplant with spring bulbs and low woodland perennials for a layered spring display.
• Place at the edge of a large Japanese-inspired garden, allowing room for its spreading branches.

Garden styles it suits: Japanese, English country, Woodland, White garden, Romantic rose garden and Grand estate.

Plant it with: Snowdrops, Daffodils, Hellebores, Japanese forest grass, Hardy geraniums and Epimediums.

Wildlife: The open flowers provide pollen and nectar for spring pollinators. Mature branches offer shelter and potential nesting sites for birds.

• Bacterial canker: sunken bark, gum and branch dieback can occur. Prune affected branches back to healthy wood in dry summer weather, clean tools between cuts and avoid unnecessary wounds.
• Silver leaf: silvery leaves with branch dieback may indicate infection. Remove affected wood in dry summer weather; seek professional advice if major limbs are involved.
• Aphids: colonies can curl young leaves and produce sticky honeydew. Encourage natural predators and wash small colonies off reachable shoots with water.
• Cherry slug sawfly: slimy larvae scrape leaves, leaving a skeletonised surface. Hand-pick or wash off small infestations; established trees usually tolerate limited damage.

Leaves, bark and seeds contain cyanogenic compounds and can poison people, cats, dogs and horses if eaten. Wilted leaves are a particular danger to grazing animals; poisoning can be severe or fatal. Keep prunings away from livestock and do not allow pets or children to chew the plant or its seeds.

• Mount Fuji cherry (Prunus 'Shirotae')

  Also has white spring flowers, but they are generally smaller and often semi-double; its branches usually form a more distinctly flat, horizontally spreading crown.

• Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis)

  Usually flowers earlier, with smaller flowers that open pale pink and fade towards white, largely before the leaves emerge. 'Tai Haku' has notably larger white flowers accompanied by copper-coloured young leaves.

'Tai Haku' is commonly translated from Japanese as 'great white', referring to its unusually large white flowers.

Propagation. Usually propagated by budding or grafting onto a suitable cherry rootstock. Seedlings will not reliably reproduce 'Tai Haku', and shoots from below the graft belong to the rootstock rather than the cultivar.

Accepted botanical name

Prunus

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.