Nothing beats a cherry blossom in the spring. The hard part is choosing which one. Will it be a deep dark crimson, a blush, a powder pink or a milky white? Or will you go for a very unusual sultry yellow? Will it be a flower with five petals or one with a hundred?
There is nothing quite as beautiful in spring as the genus of trees called Prunus, better known to all of us as the cherry blossom tree. To see bunches of pink or white blossoms is hard to beat.
If we’re lucky, we get to see them in our parks. If we’re really lucky, we might see them on the way to work. But for some, nothing compares to having a blossom tree in their own garden.
If it’s something you have always dreamed about, then the big question is which one – which blossom colour, which petal, which leaf, size and shape.
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And one of the best people to answer all these questions is Dr Peter Thomas, who set up and has looked after the National Collection of Cherry Trees at Keele University for over 20 years. It was established in the late 1940s when the university itself was founded and today it is made up of over 300 trees and an impressive 240 different species of cherry tree.
Most of them originate from Japan, where they have been cultivated and venerated for hundreds of years, hence many of their Japanese names. “Looking at these exquisite blossoms, it’s hard to believe that they are so hardy,” says Peter.
“They’re also not particularly fussy about what soil you plant them in and where you plant them – as long as it’s not in a dark corner. The other great thing is,” he adds, “not only can they withstand harsh winters, but they can withstand summer droughts, too.”
With these impressive credentials, Peter gives us his top 10.
1. Prunus The Bride
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“If you want the classic white cherry, then this is arguably the best one of all,” says Peter. “The petals on a blossom tree vary in number, having single (5-10 petals), semi-double (25-50 petals) or double flowers (50-100). This is a single and, as the name suggests, it has a pure white flower.”
It’s impossible not to imagine the tree resembling a billowing ivory wedding gown. Most cherry trees flower in March and April and this one comes out towards the end of March. “The whole thing is just stunning,” says Peter, “and it usually grows 4m high and 3m wide. “If you were walking past one, in full flower, it would stop you in your tracks. You’d literally have to stop and stare at it.”
2. Prunus Beni-Yutaka
“The word ‘Beni’ in the name of this cherry, which means ‘pink’,” explains Peter. The flower buds first open with dark pink petals, which gradually turn white. “It has double flowers, so when it’s in flower, you get this astonishing array of pink shades on the tree; it’s also scented,” he adds. “It’s a medium-sized tree, so you don’t need a huge garden to plant it in.
Sadly, the blooming period of this tree, like all cherry trees, doesn’t last longer than one or two weeks. The beauty is fleeting, which is why in Japanese culture it is hugely associated with how fleeting life itself is… and how we need to treasure every moment of it.
3. Prunus Amanogawa
This beauty is perfect for a small garden. It’s an upright tree that is sometimes called the ‘Flagpole Cherry’. However, while it may grow up to 6m tall, it’s no wider than 2m, so its elongate frame is instantly recognisable.
In fact, it is this shape which inspired its Japanese name, ‘Amanogawa’, meaning ‘Milky Way’. If you look at the tree in full blossom, it does resemble our hazy-looking solar system. Closer to home, a few of these trees together would look mesmerising; better still, a whole avenue! And, of course, in autumn, this cherry, like many, will also reward you with a striking autumnal firework display.
Prunus Amanogawa | Flowering Cherry Blossom Tree
4. Prunus Kanza
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“When this is in flower and there’s a blue sky behind it, this tree just takes your breath away,” says Peter.
“Heavy clusters of crimson double flowers and striking coppery leaves are a combination the Japanese people love, and this is probably the most famous of them all. In fact, it is often referred to as the ‘Japanese Flowering Cherry’.”
It was introduced into this country in 1914 and, by the 1950s, it started to appear all over Britain. “People here just fell in love, but in recent years, it has acquired a bit of a Marmite reputation because the pink petals take on a bluish tinge once they’ve reached their peak, which some people hate,” adds Peter. “But I love it, I have one in my own garden.”
5. Prunus Serrula 
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If you want to have something that gives you a particularly stunning bark, then this is particularly eye-catching.
“When the tree is young, the bark takes on this beautiful dark brown mahogany shine, and the more you stroke it, the shinier it gets. The shine really stands out!” remarks Peter. It’s often called the Tibetan cherry or the birch bark cherry, and in the spring has small clusters of dainty white bowl-shaped flowers.
It’s a small tree, reaching no higher than 4m, and come autumn its willow-like leaves turn beautiful shades of gold. Just bear in mind that when the neighbours see it, they may think you’ve gone too far with the spring clean and got the furniture polish out.
6. Prunus Tai-Haku 
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“This is a super choice if you have a big garden because it’s one of the bigger trees and has the biggest white flowers of any cherry,” says Peter. “What’s also interesting is that the tree was thought to have become extinct in Japan, where it originates and is adored,” he explains.
“However, during the late 1800s, a British man called Collingwood Ingram began to collect cherry trees, going back and forth to Japan, and in 1923, he found a Tai-Haku growing in a Sussex garden. So, all the Tai-Hakus have come from this one tree.”
Also, its branches were bred to spread horizontally, so a whole row of them would link ‘arms’. This is significant during the Hanami Cherry Festival, when Japanese people sit under the blossoms every year to mark the beauty and fragility of life.
7. Prunus Royal Burgundy
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“This might very well have the deepest pink blossom in the cherry world,” says Peter. The double flowers whose foliage has a purple-black tinge to it are just a stunning medley of darker, moodier colours.
This tree was given an Award of Garden Merit by the RHS in 2012, which no doubt loved its colour parade and neat, upright size, making it great for most people’s gardens. “It was actually discovered in the USA in 1985,” says Peter, “and introduced over here five years later.” If the cream whites are too monochromatic and the pale pinks don’t fit in with your mood board, this evocative juxtaposition of darker shades might just fit in with your moody garden aesthetic.
8. Prunus Litigiosa
“There’s no other cherry tree quite like it,” says Peter, very excitedly. “It’s commonly known as the ‘tassel cherry tree’ because not only do the flowers hang down in clusters, but the stamens in each flower, which look like fine golden threads, hang down too. They really do look like tassels you’d tie up your curtains with!”
With either white or pink-tinged petals, this upright tree grows to about 6m, so it’s great if you don’t have a lot of room, and perfect if you like that elegant, elongated style.
It was brought to the UK in the 1900s by a famous plant explorer called Ernest Henry ‘Chinese’ Wilson, who went to many remote parts of China and was responsible for introducing thousands of new plant species to Western horticulture. “To see this tree in April,” says Peter, “is just delightful.”
9. Prunus Pandora
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“The gorgeous flowers on this single blossom,” says Peter, “are such a subtle shade of pale pink that they’re regarded as very unusual. It has an exquisite simplicity to it, which people sometimes prefer. It’s also one of the earliest cherries to flower, appearing in the last week of March and when you first see it, you might think, ‘Oh, what is that?'” Peter also says, that if you love this particular shade, “it’s better to buy this tree when it’s in flower, because some strains are almost white.”
It has a vase-shaped crown and in the autumn its bronze leaves turn wonderful shades of burnt orange and russet red – a Pandora’s box of explosive colours.
10. Prunus Ukon
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A splash of yellow, anyone? If you’re looking for something completely out of the ordinary, this could be it.
“The semi-double large flowers on this tree are a very rare yellow,” says Peter, trying to put his finger on the exact shade. Not egg yolk or custard, not sand, syrup or butter. “It’s a paler, some say, sulphur shade of yellow. Or perhaps yellow with a hint of green.
Others will simply say, it’s a sophisticated yellow. “The shade of this cherry is significant,” says Peter, “because in Japanese culture, many colours had meanings and this was associated with the symbolic colour of the ceremonial robes worn by imperial courtiers going back hundreds of years.”
Who doesn’t love a yellow to welcome the spring!
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