Cherries

The early season flowering cherries bloom in late March. A highlight of this period is the Okame cherry (Prunus × incam ‘Okame’), which has a proliferation of dark fuchsia flowers. During the early season you can also find Japanese apricots (Prunus mume) in bloom, which are close relatives of flowering cherries.

The mid-season flowering cherries occur throughout the month of April. This is a large and diverse group that includes Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis) like those at the Tidal Basin in Washinton DC, the iconic double weeping cherry (Prunus pendula ‘Yae-beni-shidare’), and the natural hybrid Higan cherry (Prunus × subhirtella).

The late season cherries bloom from late April to mid-May. The most well-known cherry of this group is the ever-popular Kanzan cherry (Prunus ‘Kanzan’). Also in bloom in the late season are the unusual, green-flowered Ukon cherry (Prunus (Sato-zakura Group) ‘Ukon’), and the beautiful Fugenzo cherry (Prunus (Sato-zakura Group) ‘Fugenzo’), which was introduced into cultivation in Japan as early as the 14th century.