It’s that time of the year again when our beautiful city of Dublin is made even more enchanting by the annual appearance of the cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is called sakura. Cherry blossoms are a deciduous tree that mainly flower in spring and are known collectively as cherry blossom since they all produce a similar type of flower. The Cherry blossom is speculated to be native to the Himalayas but is now widely distributed, especially in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere such as: Europe, West Siberia, China, Japan, and North America
Are you suffering from Cherry Blossom Envy? Why not grow your own?
There is something almost fairy tale like about the fluffy pink and white displays produced by cherry blossoms, their delicate flowers and colouring appeal. Because they come in various shapes and sizes so it’s possible to find one to suit most gardens. Follow the steps below and start your journey to cherry blossom heaven:
Find a location. When planting in your garden, ensure that the spot you select has plenty of sunlight and allows for good drainage.
What type to select - Which Cherry Blossom will suit you and your garden?
The cherry blossom can be used as a specimen tree, planted in groups to create a copse, or even in lines to create an avenue or driveway to a house.
For year-round interest try Prunus serrula, which is grown for its polished deep reddish brown bark, which looks amazing against its white blossoms in spring and equally good in late winter sunshine when the tree is leafless.
Prunus amanogawa is an upright tree that reaches a spread of 12 feet after many years. It has pale pink fragrant blossoms in spring and nice autumn colour, so this would be suitable if you are looking for an upright tree.
Prunus cerasifera ‘Cheal’s Weeping’ is a lovely weeping variety that produces double bright pink flowers before the leaves appear in spring, its maximum height and spread is 3m.
The Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’, a tree that flowers during mild periods between autumn and spring. It is one of the few winter flowering deciduous trees found in Ireland, and it’s weeping version, Prunus ‘Pendula Rosea’ can look spectacular when covered in pink blossoms on a mild winter’s day.
Are you suffering from Cherry Blossom Envy? Why not grow your own?
There is something almost fairy tale like about the fluffy pink and white displays produced by cherry blossoms, their delicate flowers and colouring appeal. Because they come in various shapes and sizes so it’s possible to find one to suit most gardens. Follow the steps below and start your journey to cherry blossom heaven:
Find a location. When planting in your garden, ensure that the spot you select has plenty of sunlight and allows for good drainage.
- Buy a seedling or young cherry blossom plant from your local nursery or garden centre.
- If you've bought a young cherry blossom plant instead of a seed, dig a hole about a size and a half of the plant base using a spade or shovel. Loosen the roots very gently before placing inside the hole. Make sure that you don't dig the hole too deep so that the trunk will be exposed. Allow for about three inches of the soil base to rise above the soil.
- Add soil mix. Cherry blossoms can tolerate a variety of pH range. Check with your nursery or garden centre to find what the best pH level is for the plant you chose.
- Water, and let it drain well before adding additional water.
- Apply compound fertilizer with minerals only once a year. The nutrients are slowly released to the root system only when plants are active growing during warm weather. NPK mixture or Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium (15-9-12).
- Enjoy your brilliant, beautiful cherry blossoms!
What type to select - Which Cherry Blossom will suit you and your garden?
The cherry blossom can be used as a specimen tree, planted in groups to create a copse, or even in lines to create an avenue or driveway to a house.
For year-round interest try Prunus serrula, which is grown for its polished deep reddish brown bark, which looks amazing against its white blossoms in spring and equally good in late winter sunshine when the tree is leafless.
Prunus amanogawa is an upright tree that reaches a spread of 12 feet after many years. It has pale pink fragrant blossoms in spring and nice autumn colour, so this would be suitable if you are looking for an upright tree.
Prunus cerasifera ‘Cheal’s Weeping’ is a lovely weeping variety that produces double bright pink flowers before the leaves appear in spring, its maximum height and spread is 3m.
The Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’, a tree that flowers during mild periods between autumn and spring. It is one of the few winter flowering deciduous trees found in Ireland, and it’s weeping version, Prunus ‘Pendula Rosea’ can look spectacular when covered in pink blossoms on a mild winter’s day.
