Prunusspp.
Looking for a nodding twist on an old deary ? Then a weeping cherry tree may be just what you need .
Much of the time , drooping plant shoot mean that something ’s wrong . But for cry cherry trees , such droopage is normal . really , it ’s good than normal – it ’s straight - outgorgeous .
There ’s something very captivating about a cherry tree ’s “ weepiness . ”
Perhaps it symbolize find beauty in crestfallen sorrowfulness , or perchance it ’s a reminder to stand up tall , even when the world is bringing you down – its esthetic can inspire many different takeaways .
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It also look natural , yet affected at the same fourth dimension , in a way that ’s delightfully preternatural .
Much like a photorealistic tattoo , a fame wax statue , or the liveliness style of “ The Polar Express , ” a drooping yet healthy growing riding habit look like it should n’t evenbe , yet it is .
Metaphors and comparison aside , these trees see quite cool . But for maximal coolness , they must be grow right . And to dothat , you ’ll need the right-hand know - how .
That ’s what this guide is for . All the cultivation noesis you need , right at your fingertips .
Here ’s what I ’ll treat :
What You’ll Learn
What Are Weeping Cherry Trees?
A weeping cherry tree is any miscellanea of flowering cherry tree with soft , limp twigs , pendulous branches , and an overall cascading appearance .
Native to Japan , China , and Korea , these plants flaunt a lovely east Asian esthetic . I ’d describe the vibe as “ samurai movie backdrop , ” which , coming from a wonk , is the highest of praise .
For the most part , they ’re hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 8 , although some varieties can turn a bit outside this mountain chain .
The true weeping form does n’t occur much in nature , as most Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree described as “ weeping ” are cultivated varieties that are select for their crying shape , which in the first place fall out as a result of genetic mutations .
To create these plants , plantsmen typically ingraft tears cherry tree scions to four- to five - metrical unit tall rhizome of erect cherry red trees .
belong to to the Rosaceae kinsfolk , the scions of weep cherry Tree get along from many differentPrunusspecies and hybrids : P.serrulata , Prunusxsubhirtella , andPrunusxyedoensisare a few renowned ones .
These plants can mature six to 30 feet tall and five to 25 feet wide , as they are available in both midget and full - sized assortment .
Flaunting oval - shaped unripened leave with narrowing points and serrated edges , these tree burst with single or two-fold , whitened to pink flowers in bounce , which attract bees , butterfly , and hummingbird .
After pollination , the tree diagram produce black to red drupes , which are much smaller and less tasty than those ofcherry trees that are actually mature for their fruits . But they ’re still quite tasty to shuttlecock and herbivorous woodland critters !
Weeping Cherry Propagation
As I mentioned , cry cerise tree are cultivated via grafting . However , these technique can be unmanageable for a novice to pull off correctly , and are a number beyond the setting of this template .
Youcouldpropagate via cuttings , but if you do so , you would n’t have the desirable trait of the rootstock . Ourguide to growing cosmetic flowering cerise treesprovides the necessary steps .
To get take off with your own weeping cherry Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , I ’d suggest purchase a sapling from a reputable nursery for transplantation into your garden .
The upright time to transplant is in early spring after the final frost , so plan your acquisition accordingly .
guarantee that your intended planting sites have full Sunday exposure . check that each situation is spaced far enough away from other flora and structures – you require your tree to reach their full size of it without their branches or ascendant happen into anything .
If you have bare antecedent tree , soak their roots three to six hr before planting sentence . If your sapling is growing in a container , you may pass over this stone’s throw .
ensure the garden stain at the planting sites is moisture - keep yet well - draining , with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 .
Dig your planting holes twice as mysterious and twice extensive as your transplantation ’s root organisation or the container it ’s currently growing in .
Take your dug - out soil , coalesce it with adequate parts compost , and then backfill the hole halfway .
If your sapling is in a container , gently move out it and set it in the hole , making sure it ’s model at the same depth as it was in the original container .
For bleak tooth root transplants , produce a cumulation of soil at the bottom of the golf hole , then gently spread the roots out over it , see that the root word choker is more or less above the soil seam . Make certain the graft union is well above the grime line of reasoning .
alternative backfilling and water to help it all go under , and when you ’re done , water system in your transplant to make the grease dainty and moist . Congrats , you ’re done !
How to Grow Weeping Cherries
With your tears cherries in - ground , let ’s learn how to keep ’em around .
Climate and Exposure Needs
For twelvemonth - round survival , these plants will need to be in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8 , for the most part – certain varieties are suitable for somewhat hotter or colder climate .
They are resistant of passion , snow , and frost , so they ’ll do just ticket on the edge of their hardiness ranges .
A full sun fix is best , so check that to expose your crying cherry red to as much sunshine as possible .
Soil Needs
The perfect garden filth for a weeping cerise should be moisture - retaining , well - draining , and fecund , with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 . A loamy soil texture with ample humus is everlasting .
To keep the humus mental object up to snuff , top frock with a couple inches of compost or well - rotted manure and operate it into the soil under the dripping line every outpouring .
Water and Fertilizer Needs
Along with sun , consistent moisture is involve to power those beautiful efflorescence . To furnish it , weewee deep whenever the top three inches of soil dry out .
Moderate wet is absolutely essential – these trees ca n’t stand drought , nor crocked feet .
To encourage prolific bloom , you may apply a balanced fertilizer or one formulated for trees and bush once in leap .
Down to Earth Tree and Shrub Fertilizer
Use a product like Down to Earth Tree and Shrub Fertilizer , available via Arbico Organics .
Growing Tips
Pruning and Maintenance
Other than any necessary pruning to keep the weeping shape , these plant life typically do n’t involve even trim .
But if you do need to give your plant a haircut , await until just before bud breakage in spring , and do n’t remove more than a third of the plant ’s branches in the process .
Dead , damaged , and/or diseased branches can be removed whenever you notice them .
To help retain wet , suppress weeds , and to protect the roots , it ’s helpful to maintain a bed of mulch around the dripline – just make certain that the mulch is keep a couple of inches away from the torso .
Supplemental watering should be ceased whenever temperatures dim below 40 ° F and/or there ’s blow on the priming coat .
reckon on how manicure you want your garden to be , you might take to scan up the leaves after they ’ve miss in fall .
Weeping Cherry Cultivars to Select
There are legion weeping cherry cultivar useable and you should have no problem finding one that meets your aesthetic needs .
Here are five of my favorites :
Kiku-Shidare-Zakura
Prunus‘Kiku - Shidare - Zakura ’ – a Nipponese flowering cherry red cultivar – puts on a showstopping display , as each of its richly pink double flowers has up to 125 petals !
With a mature height and spread of 10 to 15 feet , ‘ Kiku - Shidare - Zakura ’ is a wonderful specimen planting for billet require a comparatively compact tree . It ’s audacious in Zones 4 to 9 .
Plena Rosea
Digging double blooms?P.subhirtella‘Plena Rosea ’ aka ‘ Pendula Plena Rosea ’ is another double - bloomer , with each pale pinkish double flower show off 10 to 20 twisted prime petals with a prominent red center .
to boot , these beautiful prime remain longer into the summer than other weeping cherries !
Hardy in geographical zone 5 to 8 , the plant life gain a mature elevation and spread of 15 to 25 human foot .
A bit big than ‘ Kiku - Shidare - Zakura , ’ ‘ Plena Rosea ’ is idealistic for filling out bigger planting site .
‘ Plena Rosea ’
you could find ‘ Plena Rosea ’ in four - by - four - by - six - inch containersavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
Shidare-Yoshino
Hardy in zone 5 to 8,Prunusxyedoensis‘Shidare - Yoshino ’ is a weeping cultivar of the celebrated Yoshino cherry .
Bursting with single white flowers , ‘ Shidare - Yoshino ’ strain elevation of 20 to 25 feet and spreads of 20 to 30 ft .
For a brilliant white mickle of swag blooms , you ca n’t go incorrect with ‘ Shidare - Yoshino . ’
Weeping Extraordinaire
As if regular weeping cherry bloom were n’t extraordinary enough , Weeping Extraordinaire ™ have delightful threefold pink blooms that are super - duper fluffy , with numerous narrow petals to give each flower a “ stuffed - to - the - rim ” artistic .
Hardy in USDA zone 5 to 8 and with a fledged height and width of 15 to 20 feet , Prunusx ‘ Extrazam ’ is tolerant of urban befoulment , making it a perfect planting for the street or a public parkland .
Prunusx ‘ Extrazam ’ is uncommitted as a four- to five - foundation transplantfrom FastGrowingTrees.com .
White Snow Fountains
The name fairly much comprehend it . With a cascade down , elegant wont that bursts with sodding white flower , White Snow Fountains ® really lives up to its name .
hand a mature height of eight to 15 invertebrate foot and a spread of eight to 10 feet , Prunusx ‘ Snofozam ’ is a scrap marvellous than it is wide , making it a solid accent Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree for tighter spot in the landscape .
you’re able to find White Snow Fountains ® in # 5 containersavailable at Nature Hills Nursery .
Managing Pests and Disease
Nothing give a weeping cherry tree something to cry out about quite like pest and disease . Let ’s discuss how to carry on with them !
Herbivores
Unfortunately , these tree can be quite susceptible to …
Sometimes known as “ theater mice , ” field mouse look like the stocky , short - tailed dearest - shaver of computer mouse and hamsters .
With their telling speed , jumping power , digging skills , and reproductive charge per unit , large populations can cursorily tunnel around and through industrial plant root word , as well as masticate up the bark at the al-Qaeda of trees .
Placing field mouse or mouse trap around democratic tunnel paths and nesting sites can enamour or toss off these pests , reckon on the traps you use .
Either way , peanut butter makes a large bait , especially if you bait the traps for vole activity in the good afternoon to other even when they are active .
Protect your tree diagram trunks with loose tree diagram guards made of meshing or hardware textile . forget the guards a bit below the soil to keep field mouse from squeeze indoors . Fox or coyote urine works as a repellent , but those need reapplying after rain .
Insects
Since insects can transmitter pathogens , it’sdoublyimportant to manage them . Especially these ace :
“ Borers ” mention to the immature larval stages of a variety of dissimilar moths and beetles .
After emerging from eggs lay in plants in outflow to summer , borers will tunnel through living Grant Wood as they feed , which damages xylem and bast tissues .
This feeding weakens the plant , do girdling , dieback , and eventual death . The feeding tunnels are also prime submission detail for pathogen to bring their own havoc .
Since adult insects incline to put their nut in damaged , sickly , or otherwise stressed plants , right cultivation is essential for prevention . By caring for your trees properly and not wounding them , you ’re telling bugs “ this ai n’t a good spot ! ”
If borersdobecome a trouble , you may necessitate to employ pyrethroids or other insecticides via bark sprays . More systemic insecticides can be applied via injections or soil drenches , preferably by a professional .
Popillia japonicais a Japanese - native coinage of beetle that packs quite an appetite .
With shiny , metal green bodies and coppery wing covers , adult Nipponese beetle take conspicuous bite out of leaf and heyday , which can skeletonize leaves and hinder photosynthesis .
If these insects strike , I ’d prescribe “ unctuous destruction . ”
During a cool aurora or evening , take a bucket of soapy water to an infested flora and flick the bug in the body of water .
The soap will keep them under as they swim . A mo too grisly ? stress spraying your plant life with neem oil instead .
Bonide Neem oil colour
Bonide sell neem fossil oil in quick - to - use or concentrated formsat Arbico Organics .
read more about how to deal with Japanese beetle in our guide .
Disease
Along with proper cultivation , hygienise your garden tools is an light way to forbid disease scatter .
have by the fungusApiosporina morbosa , black burl is a unwashed and pestering disease that affectsPrunusspecies .
The stylemark symptom is the formation of hard , tumor - similar galls on branches and trunk , which seem black and swollen-headed .
overwinter in galls from the previous year , the fungus spillage spore during soaked spring stipulation , which spread via wind to infect the sweet shoots or wound of other plants .
Once inside a subdivision or trunk , the fungus touch off the growth of sight of prominent plant cells , leading to the swollen bile .
One year by and by , the gall is covered with a velvety , olive green fungous ontogenesis . Twoyears afterward , the rancour is black , arduous , and capable of release its own spore .
Black air mile disease is tolerable , but it can twine an infected arm ’s shape , toss off its leaves , and break trunk bark .
If the disease show up on your plants , prune out the impudence with sterilized creature in late wintertime , making your stem cut four inches below the gall .
Burn , immerse , or pitch your prunings , and do n’t be afraid to get rid of and dispose of severely - infect plant solely .
Technically , cherry red gibe hole disease is a symptom , rather than a true disease .
Often an eventual result of bacterial leaf spot and/or cherry leafage pip , this affliction leaves small , punch - out holes in the foliation of cherry and cerise laurel mintage .
The causal disease fan out rapidly in strong , humid spring weather condition . InPrunusplants , afflicted leaves will finally call on chlorotic and fall .
Space trees properly to promote good air flow to stave off a buildup of humidity , and scan up fallen leaf to keep overwintering pathogens .
Fungicides can be used preventatively on worthful specimen , while tree heavily affected by cerise shot hole disease postulate to be removed entirely .
Verticillium wilt is a rather serious disease ofPrunusthat causes sudden wilting , chlorosis , necrosis , and/or brown , streaked sapwood .
After lying dormant in the soil as microsclerotia , the causal fungiVerticillium dahliaeand / orVerticillium albo - atrumenters the plant through spite ascendent or born orifice . It enters and clog up the xylem , interrupting its water stream .
Plants may survive this disease without your help , but pruning dead branches , using desexualize tools , and proper finish all make it easy .
Since the pathogens persist in the ground indefinitely , severely infect trees should be withdraw and interchange with insubordinate plants such asarborvitae , ginkgo , oroak .
Best Uses for Weeping Cherry Trees
A tears cherry tree diagram is a truly delightful specimen , specially in springiness when it ’s in full bloom . you could plant in the neighborhood of more just trees for contrast .
It ’s also a fantastic shade tree ! You may have to be a morsel lower to the earth to fit comfortably under its drooping branches , perhaps lie prone or on your back … I ca n’t think of a better spot to take an outdoor sleep , though .
Quick Reference Growing Guide
It’s No Ordinary Cherry…
Droopy - ness does n’t look fantastic in multitude or animals , but plant like the weeping cerise really own the look . Would n’t you consort ?
Congrats on learning the ways of these plants ! May they add up a delicious cascading aesthetic to your landscape for the rest of your horticulture twenty-four hour period .
And for more information aboutgrowing specie in thePrunusgenus , check up on out these guidebook next :
© need the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product photos via Arbico Organics , Bonide , FastGrowingTrees.com , and Nature Hills Nursery . Uncredited picture : Shutterstock .
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Joe Butler
