Kanzan cherry

Sun

Full sun; allow at least six hours of direct sunlight for good flowering.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist while establishing. Established trees need deep watering during prolonged dry weather, but dislike waterlogged ground.

Soil

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

Height

25-40 ft (7.5-12 m)

Spread

20-30 ft (6-9 m)

Flowers

Mid- to late spring; large, double, deep pink flowers in hanging clusters.

Foliage

Finely toothed leaves emerge bronze or copper, mature to green and turn orange, bronze or yellow in autumn.

Growth

Moderate, often faster while young on a suitable site.

Care needed

Medium

• 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 keep any graft union above the soil.
• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons, moistening the whole root ball and surrounding soil.
• 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 indicates a deficiency; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Stake only if the tree is unstable, use flexible ties and remove support once roots anchor it securely.
• Remove shoots arising below the graft promptly, and protect the trunk from mower and strimmer damage.

Pruning. Prune as little as possible, using a dry spell in summer to reduce the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker. Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches with small, clean cuts; avoid topping or cutting large limbs.

Autumn

Plant container-grown trees while soil is workable and moist; postpone planting where winter waterlogging is likely.

Early spring

Check stakes and ties, replenish mulch and assess whether feeding is needed.

Spring

Check young shoots for aphids and inspect blossom and twigs for dieback.

Summer

Carry out essential pruning in dry weather and remove rootstock suckers.

Summer

Water deeply during prolonged drought, especially while the tree is establishing.

Late autumn

Clear diseased fallen leaves and check the trunk for damage or sunken, gummy lesions.

• Use as a lawn specimen where the spreading crown and spring flowers can be seen from the house.
• Plant along a broad drive or avenue, spacing trees for their mature crowns rather than their nursery size.
• Set behind a spring border of bulbs and low perennials for layered seasonal colour.
• Use in a Japanese-inspired garden with restrained evergreen planting, leaving open space around the trunk and crown.

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

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

Wildlife: Branches provide perching and nesting cover, and the foliage supports some insects. The densely double flowers offer much less accessible pollen and nectar than single-flowered cherries, and this cultivar generally produces little or no fruit.

• Bacterial canker: sunken bark, gum and branch dieback can develop, especially on stressed trees. Prune affected wood in dry summer weather, disinfect tools and correct drainage problems; seek an arborist's advice for trunk lesions.
• Silver leaf: silvery foliage and branch dieback may follow infection through pruning wounds. Remove affected branches during dry summer weather and dispose of infected wood.
• Aphids: colonies can curl young leaves and produce sticky honeydew. Encourage natural predators and wash accessible colonies off with water; avoid unnecessary broad-spectrum insecticides.
• Cherry leaf spot: spotted leaves may yellow and fall early, especially in humid weather. Collect fallen leaves, avoid wetting foliage when watering and maintain airflow around the crown.

Leaves, stems, bark and seed kernels contain cyanogenic compounds and can poison cats, dogs, horses and people if eaten. Chewed or wilted foliage is a particular concern for grazing horses; poisoning can be rapidly fatal. Fruit flesh is not considered poisonous, but this ornamental cultivar usually produces little or no fruit. Keep prunings away from animals and seek urgent veterinary or medical advice after suspected ingestion.

• Shirofugen cherry (Prunus 'Shirofugen')

  Its double flowers open white or very pale pink and deepen to pink as they age; Kanzan flowers are a much stronger pink from opening.

• Amanogawa cherry (Prunus serrulata 'Amanogawa')

  Has a distinctly narrow, upright crown and pale pink, semi-double flowers, rather than Kanzan's broadening crown and densely double deep pink blooms.

Prunus is the Latin name for plum, and serrulata means finely saw-toothed, referring to the leaf margins.

Propagation. Usually propagated by budding or grafting onto a compatible cherry rootstock. Specialist growers may root softwood cuttings, but success is variable; seed will not reproduce the cultivar, and rootstock suckers are not Kanzan.

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.