The pink weeping cherry tree is understood for its plethora of pink flowers in early spring, although, in contrast to most cherry bushes, this one isn’t grown for its fruit. This decorative cherry tree can produce pink or white flowers and is grown primarily for the visible curiosity that it provides to the panorama.
These lovely bushes have the looks of conventional cherry bushes however with weeping branches that resemble a willow. Thus the weeping a part of the title. Weeping cherries are available in quite a lot of sizes as effectively. The usual bushes can attain heights of 30 ft with an identical unfold, whereas the dwarf weeping cherry tree has a most peak of 6 ft tall and broad, which makes it good for small areas.
There are even forms of weeping cherry bushes that produce double flowers, including an additional layer to their already spectacular spring bloom. It is a deciduous tree. As soon as it blooms within the spring, it places on shiny inexperienced leaves in the summertime. Within the fall, the leaves flip golden and drop to the bottom. The weeping cherry tree is naked in winter till it blooms once more in spring.
Rising weeping cherry bushes is comparatively simple when planted of their very best location in well-drained soils. They hardly ever want pruning except for eradicating any lifeless or broken branches. Not solely are the blossoms pleasing to the attention, however the flowers present a meals supply for pollinators early within the rising season when not a lot else is on the market.
Whereas the plant doesn’t produce edible fruits, you will need to notice that it produces small inconspicuous berries that may fall to the earth. These don’t trigger a big litter drawback. They principally turn into meals for the birds!
Fast Care Information
| Frequent Title | Weeping cherry tree, Weeping Higan Cherry, Prunus pendula |
| Scientific Title | Prunus subhirtella, Prunus pendula pendula, and extra |
| Household | Rosaceae |
| Peak & Unfold | Can develop as much as 30 ft tall and broad, dwarf varieties round 6 ft tall and broad |
| Mild | Full solar, can tolerate partial shade |
| Soil | Properly-drained soils |
| Water | Hold effectively watered, particularly throughout dry intervals |
| Pests & Illnesses | Spider mites, Japanese beetles, root rot, cherry leaf spot, powdery mildew |
All About The Weeping Cherry Tree
Prunus subhirtella and Prunus pendula are the botanical names for this tree, often known as the weeping Higan cherry tree. It originated in Japan and was one of many first forms of cherry blossom bushes launched to the U.S. and Europe within the mid to late nineteenth century.
In Japanese tradition, cherry blossom bushes symbolize renewal due to their bloom time within the spring. Nonetheless, because the blooms are short-lived, they’re additionally symbolic of the fleeting nature of life. In Western tradition, the present of a cherry tree is meant to represent good luck.
This perennial tree with weeping branches is taken into account a long-term funding in landscaping as it might develop for as much as 30-40 years. The flowers are small, about an inch in diameter, and vary from white to pinkish-white, and pink.
Since these are deciduous bushes, they may bloom within the early spring. As soon as the blooms fall, they’re changed by inexperienced foliage.
The foliage will ultimately flip golden within the autumn, and the tree will lose its foliage utterly within the winter. The tiny berries that these bushes produce are inedible, however they do present forage for wildlife similar to birds, squirrels and even deer.
Forms of Weeping Cherry Timber
There are numerous several types of weeping cherry tree, however right here we’ll talk about the commonest varieties and what makes them stand out from the opposite bushes.
Weeping cherry tree (Prunus pendula, pendula rosea)
That is the most well-liked number of weeping cherry bushes. It produces deep rosy-pink flowers that bloom on weeping branches in late winter/early spring. Flowers seem in clusters of 2-5 blooms.
As flowers fade, small black inedible berries seem of their place. Mature bushes have a peak and unfold of 15-25 ft. Foliage turns purple and orange within the fall.
Snow fountain dwarf (Prunus serrulata)
This dwarf weeping cherry tree has a mature peak and unfold of 8-10 ft. As its title would counsel, this selection showcases white flowers giving it the looks of a fountain of snow. The flowers are aromatic, and the inexperienced summer season foliage turns a beautiful golden orange within the fall.
Japanese dwarf weeping cherry (Prunus serrulata Kiku-Shidare-Zakura)
This dwarf weeping cherry tree reaches a peak and unfold of 10-15 ft. It produces pink, double flowers. Kiku-Shidare-Zakura means “weeping chrysanthemum cherry” because the pink flowers have the looks of a small chrysanthemum.
Hiromi dwarf weeping cherry (Prunus jacquemontii)
This is without doubt one of the smaller dwarf weeping cherry tree varieties with a mature peak of 6-7 ft and a variety of 2-4 ft. Its compact development behavior makes it very best for small areas. It produces pink flowers, and due to its brief peak and even smaller width, it might seem extra as a bush than a tree.
Double weeping cherry (Prunus pendula plena rosea)
This selection produces deep pink double flowers. These bushes are lined in blooms, clustered in teams of 3-4, every with a purple calyx. Their show lasts per week or so longer than different varieties. Mature peak and unfold of 15-25 ft.
Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis ‘Shidare Yoshino’)
This sort is without doubt one of the bigger varieties with a mature peak and unfold of 20-30 ft. The branches are lined in white flowers in early spring. The inexperienced summer season foliage turns a bronze-gold earlier than shedding for the winter.
Weeping Cherry Tree Care
These weeping bushes are comparatively simple to take care of, however some base necessities have to be met. Learn on to be taught in regards to the very best rising situations for weeping cherry bushes.
Solar and Temperature
Each common and dwarf weeping cherry tree varieties thrive in full-sun areas that obtain not less than 6-8 hours of direct daylight per day. They will tolerate partial shade, although they might not bloom as profusely below these situations.
Most weeping cherry tree varieties can survive in USDA hardiness zones 5-10. Nonetheless, be sure you verify your particular selection as some will not be suited to hardiness zones 5 and beneath.
Just like the cherry bushes that produce edible fruit, these bushes want a certain quantity of “chill hours” with the intention to break dormancy and flower within the spring. To realize this, most varieties want 700-900 hours beneath 45 levels Fahrenheit.
Water and Humidity
Water is most vital if you first plant your common or dwarf weeping cherry tree to verify the foundation ball will get established. Mature weeping cherry bushes usually tend to survive dry spells, however younger bushes want additional consideration.
To assist with moisture retention at planting, putting a layer of mulch across the tree could be useful. When mulching, go away a 3-4 inch mulch-free zone across the base of the trunk. It’s greatest to water bushes within the morning earlier than the warmth of the day units in. Water repeatedly till the tree is established.
Should you reside in a dry local weather, then it’s possible you’ll think about including drip irrigation as a “set it and neglect it” technique of maintaining your tree well-watered all through its lifetime. This isn’t crucial for those who obtain common rain in your space.
Weeping cherry bushes don’t respect excessive humidity. Excessive humidity, together with poor circulation, can result in fungal points.
Soil
Weeping cherry bushes will not be choosy in terms of soil kind so long as it gives ample drainage. Nonetheless, they may thrive in a unfastened, loamy soil kind with a impartial pH.
Extra water surrounding the foundation ball can result in points with rot. Because of this, keep away from planting these bushes in a low-lying space of the panorama or close to a downspout.
It’s additionally vital to tamp down the earth across the roots when planting to keep away from any air pockets. This helps the roots of newly planted bushes work their approach into the encompassing soil simply.
Fertilization
One of many issues that make rising weeping cherry bushes comparatively carefree is that they don’t require extra fertilizers with the intention to placed on their spectacular flowers.
A wholesome dose of natural compost or natural materials within the planting gap on the time of transplant will probably be enough if you develop weeping cherry tree varieties.
Should you want to provide your tree a lift, then you may side-dress with extra natural compost originally of every rising season.
Pruning
Your common or dwarf weeping cherry tree doesn’t require common pruning. Nonetheless, the general well being of the tree and its cover could be improved by pruning to supply ample airflow and to take away diseased or lifeless branches.
It is strongly recommended that growers don’t take away excessively drooping branches. In spite of everything, it’s a weeping tree! For a similar motive, take away branches which can be rising straight, as they may proceed to develop upwards fairly than weeping.
You may additionally wish to think about planting far sufficient from different bushes and constructions to permit it to unfold its cover absolutely and keep away from the necessity for pruning to regulate its measurement and form. Go away exterior drooping branches in place and prune solely to open up the cover for good air circulation.
If you develop weeping cherry tree, you may additionally want to prune within the occasion of illness points by eradicating affected branches. Don’t lower the tree when it begins flowering or whereas it shows its pink flowers. It’s best to prune through the wintertime whereas the tree is dormant.
Propagation
Like most flowering cherry bushes, weeping cherries could be grown from seed. Nonetheless, that is essentially the most time-consuming technique. Germination of weeping cherry seeds can take wherever from 4 months to a 12 months.
They may also be propagated from cuttings. Cuttings could be taken in the summertime from newer wooden. Select a department that has not less than 2-4 nodes and leaves.
Comply with conventional chopping propagation strategies like dipping in rooting hormone and putting it in soil. Hold them effectively watered till roots kind. Your chopping could be grown in a pot or straight within the floor.
Nonetheless, this technique requires a number of years to succeed in a full-grown tree. Most weeping cherry bushes which can be out there commercially, nonetheless, are grafted bushes.
Weeping cherry bushes are sometimes top-grafted bushes, that means the weepy a part of the tree, the scion, is grafted onto the rootstock of a typical single trunk to create an umbrella-like form.
Repotting Weeping Cherry Timber
Except you develop from a chopping, you doubtless gained’t have to re-pot your flowering cherry bushes as you’ll be planting them straight into the bottom. Nonetheless, in case you are rising from cuttings, you’ll want to re-pot yearly because the chopping outgrows its container.
If you do, be sure to choose a container not less than 2 inches in diameter bigger than its present container. As soon as your cherry tree reaches about 4-5 ft in peak, it’s possible you’ll plant it into the bottom. These bushes can develop to full measurement in about 10 years.
Troubleshooting
Whereas weeping cherry bushes are identified for his or her gorgeous magnificence and easy-to-manage care necessities, a number of points can come up. These flowering cherries can usually be the goal of many alternative pests and ailments. It’s greatest to stay vigilant and keep forward of any potential issues.
Rising Issues
Pink flowers and general blooming could be diminished attributable to insufficient gentle. Because of this, when selecting a planting location, it’s best to decide on a web site with full daylight. Weeping cherries favor as a lot gentle as doable however can tolerate partial shade.
To get the most important quantity of pink flowers out of your cherry tree, select a spot that will get not less than 6-8 hours of daylight per day.
Since your cherry tree will probably be within the floor for 30-40 years after planting, you’ll wish to choose the most effective spot. To find out whether or not or not an space will get sufficient gentle, be sure you verify it within the morning, mid-day, and early night.
It’s vital to do that within the winter when the solar’s rays are lowest within the sky since this would be the minimal quantity of sunshine that any given house will obtain. Then you may benefit from the flowering cherries with their pink blooms in spring. Keep in mind to mulch across the base of the crops to retain moisture.
Pests
Spider mites are small tick-like arachnids that feed on the leaves of bushes and crops. There are numerous several types of spider mites that may be purple, inexperienced, yellow, or brown. You could discover web-like constructions on the leaves, which may point out their presence.
Whereas they do feed on the younger leaves, they often go away behind solely beauty harm, similar to chew marks. If caught early, the spider mites could be blasted off with water.
Severe infestations could be handled with horticultural oil sprays. Nonetheless, pure predators might transfer in to deal with the remainder of the infestation, as lacewings like to snack on them! Along with mites, aphids and caterpillars may also be a nuisance, however once more, they trigger little greater than beauty harm, and their pure predators abound.
Japanese beetles are roughly ⅜ inch lengthy with shiny inexperienced our bodies and tan wings. They’re an invasive species and are the bane of every thing out of your vegetable backyard to your bushes. They feed on plant leaves and flowers, often in massive teams.
Japanese beetles may cause severe harm to your tree’s branches and trunk. They will defoliate massive sections or skeletonize the leaves. Should you catch the issue early on, you may take away affected branches and apply natural pest management.
Utilizing a pyrethrin spray is essentially the most dependable technique of controlling Japanese beetles. Nonetheless, a product known as milky spore powder can be utilized over time to step by step cut back the variety of beetle grubs that overwinter in your spore. Comply with all software instructions for each of those merchandise.
Illnesses
As talked about above, this plant requires well-draining soil. Permitting these flowering bushes to take a seat in standing water, or to be overwatered, can result in a fungal illness that causes root rot. If an excessive amount of moisture is gathering round your cherry tree and also you discover that development is lackluster and leaves appear to wilt, even with ample water, then you might have a difficulty of rot.
To right this concern, take away soil from across the base of the tree to disclose the higher roots and permit the realm to dry out. As soon as the contaminated space is dry, spray the trunk with a copper fungicide based on the instructions. Let the soil dry earlier than persevering with to water once more.
Powdery mildew seems as a white powder on the foliage, particularly in areas that obtain numerous rain or humidity. In these areas, form your cherry tree to provide it ample airflow, eradicating any younger branches that develop in the direction of the middle of the tree’s cover. This fungal illness does little hurt to the tree however will cut back its general look.
Leaves can prematurely drop, and an unhealthy tree could be extra inclined to pests. In some areas, it’s fairly widespread for powdery mildew to seem on the finish of the rising season. Since this can be a deciduous plant, it’s possible you’ll wait it out till the leaves drop within the autumn, as this can resolve the problem naturally.
Cherry leaf spot is one more one of many fungal ailments that plague the weeping cherry tree. It causes purple, yellow, and black spots on the leaves. The scale of the spots will increase because the an infection spreads, and this ultimately causes the leaf to drop.
Fungicides with an energetic ingredient of myclobutanil or captan can shield leaves from an infection of leaf spot, however some leaf spot has developed resistance to myclobutanil whether it is utilized too usually.
Often Requested Questions
Q: Is weeping cherry a very good tree?
A: Sure! They add a fantastic focus to your panorama, require little to no pruning, and might final for as much as 30-40 years.
Q: How messy are weeping cherry bushes?
A: Typically, they’re not messy. These bushes don’t produce edible fruit. Most produce very small, hardly noticeable berries once they drop to the earth.
Q: Can I plant a weeping cherry tree near my home?
A: It’s not a good suggestion to plant any tree proper subsequent to the home as its roots may cause basis harm, particularly to slab foundations.
Q: Do weeping cherry bushes have invasive roots?
A: The weeping cherry tree has a nonaggressive root system.
Q: How massive do weeping cherry bushes get?
A: Some varieties can develop to be 30 ft tall and broad. Most dwarf varieties are round 6 ft tall and broad.
Q: The place ought to I plant a weeping cherry tree?
A: Select a planting web site that receives full sunilght and has unfastened, well-draining soils.
Q: What’s the lifespan of a weeping cherry tree?
A: Weeping cherry bushes can develop for 30-40 years.
Q: What does a weeping cherry appear like in the summertime?
A: Shiny inexperienced leaves seem on this deciduous decorative tree in summer season.
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