Cherry blossom trees bring stunning spring flowers, rapid growth, handsome bark, and colorful autumn leaves.
Learn how to grow your own.
When these trees bloom, the show is stunning.
Credit: Van Chaplin
These trees do produce small fruit, but they are known for their spring blossoms.
Their fruits are pretty sour, not like the sweet fruit ofPrunus avium.
Blooms appear as early as January in warmer weather.
Credit: Photo: Art Meripol
Plant cherry trees in early spring or late fall in an area with full sun andwell-drained soil.
Here are our four favorite cherry tree types that do great in the South and are widely available.
Use the following profiles to grab the right one for your environment.
Credit: Photo: Van Chaplin
Plant in an area with full sun and well-drained soil.
Ornamental cherry trees dont like saturated soil or soggy roots.
Even with proper care, these trees have a relatively short life span of about 15-25 years.
Credit: Photo: Van Chaplin
Yoshino Cherry
Want a big show right away?
Yoshino flowering cherry(Prunus x yedoensis)is the one to plant.
They top out at about 35 feet tall and wide.
Credit: Photo: Van Chaplin
Graceful tiers of wide-spreading branches make this tree popular for lining residential streets.
It also makes a fine lawn tree or medium-sized shade tree.
Try it in the Upper, Middle, and Lower South.
Weeping Cherry
High on anyone’s list of graceful trees is the weeping cherry.
There is a variety ofweeping cherry trees.
They may have pink or white flowers and single or double blooms.
Some grow 40 feet tall, while others grow 12 to 15 feet tall.
Ungrafted weepers grown on their original roots appear fountain-like.
Those grafted atop a straight trunk of Higan cherry(P. x subhirtella)offer a more formal look.
‘Snow Fountains’ variety is available both ways, so choose the one you like.
Leaves turn orange and golden in the fall.
It’s suitable for the Upper, Middle, and Lower South.
Okame Cherry
Spring begins whenever the ‘Okame’ cherry(P. ‘Okame’)decides to bloom.
That could be as early as Valentine’s Day in theLower South.
Thousands of glorious, deep pink blossoms adorn its leafless branches.
In fall, the leaves turn orange-red before dropping to reveal glossy, reddish-brown bark.
Very heat and cold tolerant, ‘Okame’ grows and blooms well as far south as Central Florida.
The glossy, deep green leaves turn russet red in fall.
Growing to 30 feet tall, the vase-shaped ‘Kanzan’ provides plenty of headroom beneath it.
Plant this vigorous grower where you could gaze up into it.
NC State Extension.Prunus serrulata.
