Japanese cherry

Sun

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

Water

Moderate; water deeply during establishment and prolonged dry spells, but avoid saturated soil.

Soil

Fertile, well-drained loam is ideal. Tolerates clay or sandy soil if drainage and moisture retention are adequate; accepts mildly acidic to alkaline conditions.

Height

20-40 ft (6-12 m) for many garden forms; the wild species can reach 50-75 ft (15-23 m)

Spread

15-30 ft (4.5-9 m), depending on cultivar; large specimens can spread wider

Flowers

Early to late spring, depending on cultivar and climate; white or pink flowers, single, semi-double or double.

Foliage

Serrated, pointed leaves, often bronze when opening, becoming green in summer and yellow, orange or red in autumn.

Growth

Moderate, often 1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) a year while young.

Care needed

Medium

• Plant with the root flare at soil level and keep any graft union above the soil.
• Water deeply through the first two growing seasons whenever the root zone becomes dry.
• 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 a soil test shows a deficiency; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Stake only if the tree is unstable, use flexible ties and remove the support once roots anchor it.
• Remove shoots arising below the graft and protect the trunk and surface roots from mower damage.

Pruning. Prune sparingly in dry weather in summer, after flowering, to reduce the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches while small, and avoid topping or cutting large limbs.

Autumn

Plant where winters are mild and soil drains freely; allow enough room for the chosen cultivar's mature crown.

Early spring

Plant in cold-winter regions once the soil is workable; renew mulch without burying the trunk.

Spring

Check blossom and young shoots for dieback, and inspect new growth for aphids.

Summer

Make any necessary pruning cuts during a dry spell and remove rootstock suckers.

Summer

Water young trees deeply during dry periods and check that stake ties are not cutting into the bark.

Late autumn

Remove fallen diseased leaves and any shrivelled fruit remaining on the tree.

• Use as a lawn specimen where the whole spring canopy and autumn colour can be seen.
• Plant along a broad path or driveway, allowing room for spreading branches and surface roots.
• Underplant with spring bulbs and shade-tolerant perennials for successive layers of interest.
• Place beside a seating area or viewing window as a seasonal focal point, choosing a cultivar that fits the space.

Garden styles it suits: Japanese, Romantic rose garden, Traditional, English country, Woodland and Pastel border.

Plant it with: Daffodils, Snowdrops, Hellebores, Epimedium, Japanese forest grass and Hostas.

Wildlife: Single-flowered forms provide pollen and nectar for bees; densely double flowers offer much less. Birds may eat the small fruits where these develop, and the tree can support insect larvae.

• Bacterial canker: sunken bark, gum and dying shoots can indicate infection. Prune affected branches back to healthy wood in dry summer weather, disinfect tools between cuts and seek professional advice for trunk cankers.
• Silver leaf: persistent silvery foliage followed by branch dieback can indicate this fungal disease. Remove affected branches back to sound wood in summer and dispose of infected wood; avoid winter pruning.
• Brown rot and blossom blight: flowers brown and die, sometimes with shoot dieback or shrivelled fruit. Remove affected shoots and mummified fruit, and maintain an open crown without heavy pruning.
• Aphids: colonies curl young leaves and produce sticky honeydew. Encourage natural predators and wash reachable colonies off with water; use a labelled insecticidal soap only if needed, avoiding open flowers.

Leaves, stems and seeds inside the fruit stones contain cyanogenic compounds and are toxic to people, cats, dogs and horses if enough is eaten or chewed. Wilted leaves are a particular livestock hazard, and poisoning can be serious or fatal. Ripe fruit flesh is not generally considered toxic, but this is an ornamental cherry rather than a food crop; keep prunings away from animals and do not eat the seeds.

• Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis)

  Usually has single, pale pink flowers fading to white, often opening before the leaves. Flower stalks and calyces are typically hairy, unlike the usually hairless stalks of Japanese cherry;

• Sargent's cherry (Prunus sargentii)

  Typically bears single pink flowers with emerging bronze-red leaves and develops a substantial upright crown. Its flower clusters are usually unstalked at the base, unlike the stalked clusters typical of Japanese cherry.

• Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera)

  Usually flowers earlier, with flowers borne singly rather than in cherry-like clusters. Many garden forms have purple foliage, and fruiting trees produce rounded plums rather than small cherries.

Prunus is the Latin name for plum trees, while serrulata means finely saw-toothed, referring to the leaf edges.

Propagation. Named cultivars are usually propagated by budding or grafting onto compatible cherry rootstocks. Seed-grown plants vary and do not reproduce a cultivar faithfully; seed generally needs a period of cold stratification before germination.

Accepted botanical name

Prunus serrulata

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

China South-Central, China Southeast, Korea and Manchuria.

Measured

Average height 700 cm.

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