It’s about this time of year when I start longing for the blousy, blossomy days of April. Yes, yes, I do love witch hazels and forsythia (especially white forsythia), but I would unashamedly trade them all for just one day of glorious flowering cherries.
That needn’t be as far away as April, though. If I planted a Prunus incisa, or Fuji cherry, then I’d be sitting under the daintiest, prettiest and earliest blossom I could find right this very minute.
The Fuji cherry lights up back gardens of very clever gardeners in January and February, and cheers everyone up no end. The best thing about it is that it doesn’t get too monstrous, so you can have some superb spring cheer even if your garden is as dainty as this cherry’s flowers.
Vital stats:
Location:
Fertile, well-drained soil.
Light:
Full sun
When to plant:
Autumn
What can I expect from this plant?
Height: 2.5 metres
Spread: 2.5 metres
Flowers: January – February
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Image a day
Matt Williams
Prunus incisa “Kojo-no-mai” is a particularly fine dwarf cultivar that flowers February/March. At this time of year I prune of a few small flowering twigs and bring them inside in a vase to watch them burst into flower alongside some Chaenomeles.
Weatherstaff
We have a Prunus incisa ‘Kojo-no-mai’ planted in a little border by our back door. The branches are heavy with buds at the moment and in a week or so will be absolutely stunning. The autumn leaves are spectacular too. See http://fennelandfern.ning.com/photo/prunus-incisa-kojonomai?context=latest