Prunus x subhirtella Autumnalis Rosea - Autumn Cherry / Rosebud Cherry
The autumn and winter flowering cherry trees are hybrids that were cultivated long ago in China and were first introduced to Europe at the start of the 20th century. Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis Rosea is also known as Rosebud Cherry because of its pastel pink young buds, which open into delicate, fragrant white flowers from November through to March. They bloom in waves and while they aren't as heavily laden with blossom as other cherry trees, the fact that they remind you of spring throughout the winter is reason enough to plant them - not many other trees provide you with beautiful cuttings to add to a vase of flowers in mid-winter. They have a slender, elegant form with lots of thin twigs and light branches that cast very little shade, which make them a really useful tree to plant in a border, as they won't block the sun from reaching your other plants. Prunus x subhirtella Autumnalis Rosea can be counted on to give lovely autumn colours, with a warming spectrum of yellow, gold and deep red on each leaf. Older specimens often produce so-called witch's brooms, which usually look like a chaotic bird's nest. These are harmless and add to the character of the tree. If you have a large lawn and want a tree to go in the middle of it, you
Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis Rosea: Planting, Pruning and Caring for Your Trees:
Autumn Cherry trees will grow in any well drained soil, including chalky ones, but they will only flower well if the soil is rich and fertile. If you need to improve your soil, be prepared and dig in plenty of well rotted compost and manure into the ground where you want to plant your trees well before the soil starts to get cold in late autumn. Worms and rainfall will have time to spread the nutrients around a bit so that your tree's roots will find the good stuff that they need as they go deeper into the soil. Your Autumnalis Roseas will grow well in partial shade but may not flower so well. The same goes for shelter - they are completely hardy and grow well at altitude in Scotland but harsh winter winds will suppress the flowers a bit if they are planted in the open. A mature tree will grow to 10 metres, 30 feet, tall at the very most and many trees will end up a couple of metres shorter - which is good news for small gardens!
If you are unclear about the way standard trees are sized, take a look at our Guide to Standard Tree Sizing or you can go back to our main standard trees page.
0 items in 
