Kwanzan Cherry:

            Japan has been a big source of many of our landscaping plants; add the Kwanzan Cherry to the list, one of the showiest of all the Japanese trees.

            Big pink double blossoms fill up the tree in the spring, and last longer on the tree than any of the other flowering trees out there.

            The extra set of flower pedals in this double blossom take the place of its ability to produce cherry, therefore no messy cherry carcasses to walk or mow through in the fall.

            As with all flowering trees it likes the full sun, and will grow in most all well draining soils. Japanese beetles seem to be attracted to it, (go figure, maybe they’re homesick), but a scented beetle trap placed 50 to 100 feet up-wind should lure them away.

            They start out their life very upright and vase shaped, but as they mature they begin to widen out, leaving them with a width about equal to its 30 foot height.

            The leaves start growing as the flowers start blooming, which is rare in the flowering tree world. The leaves start out coppery-bronze, which is a beautiful contrast to the pink flowers; they then turn a rich green for the rest of the summer. In the fall they put on another show and turn a reddish-copper color.

            The Kwanzan Cherry, a botanical gift to us from the land of the rising sun; truly one to consider when looking for a spring flowering tree.

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