Winter Flowering Cherry Trees

• Variety: Autumnalis, the white Winter Flowering Cherry
• Common name: Winter Flowering Cherry, Autumn Cherry
• Latin name: Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis'
• Sold as: Bareroot half-standard, 200/250cm tree, standards of 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth, and an 8/10cm standard with a 2.2m clear stem. Pot-grown at 150/175cm in a 10 litre pot
• Mature size: 4 to 8m tall and wide, over 10 to 20 years
• Flowers: Semi-double and white, 1.5cm across, from pink buds, in mild spells from November to March
• Leaves: Turning yellow in autumn
• Shape: Small, elegant and spreading
• Best soil and site: Moderately fertile soil, chalk included. Full sun
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Autumnalis is the white Winter Flowering Cherry: a small, spreading tree that opens semi-double white flowers from pink buds in every mild spell between November and March. It grows 4 to 8 metres tall and wide in moderately fertile soil in full sun.

Winter Flowering Cherry Trees

Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis is an Autumn-Winter flowering cherry tree with dark pink buds that open into mostly white blossom. It blooms on bare wood during mild spells from late October to February. The flowers are sometimes followed by very bitter small fruit, which are loved by birds. The leaves are bronze in spring, turning green and then ruddy-gold in autumn. A very pretty tree that casts light shade and can be grown in the smallest garden.
It can reach a height of about 7 metres.

Browse our range of cherry blossom trees or all our garden trees.

Delivery season: Cherry blossom trees are delivered bareroot from late autumn to early spring, November to April.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they're best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it's convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. Our smaller bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Growing Prunus Autumnalis

It'll grow on most well drained soils, preferably rich ones, and although it's a hardy tree, we recommend planting it in sheltered, sunny places, where it'll flower best.

History & Trivia

Introduced to Europe at the turn of the 20th century, the first tree came to Britain in 1894. It won RHS Awards for displays of its cut flowers. It is important for flower arrangers as it blooms in winter.

Standard trees are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level: their trunk's waist measurement. Unlike sapling trees and hedge plants, standards aren't measured by their height, which will vary quite a bit both between and within species.
So, a 6/8cm standard tree has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8cm and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10cm around. This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height.
On average, standard trees are 2-3.5 metres tall when they arrive, but we cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.

Planting Companions

The Pink Autumn Flowering Cherry is its twin, with pale pink flowers over the same months, and Okame follows them as the first pink of spring. For coloured winter stems nearby, plant 'Midwinter Fire' Dogwood, or browse our trees for ornamental interest. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Cherry comes bareroot, lifted while dormant, or pot-grown for planting in any month. Bareroot trees are guaranteed for 12 months, and so is a potted tree delivered leafless between November and March.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Winter Flowering Cherry bloom?

In mild spells from November to March. It opens a few flowers each time the weather softens and does not put on one show in April as the Japanese Cherries do.

How big does it grow?

The RHS gives it 4 to 8 metres in both height and spread, reached over 10 to 20 years. Our own page puts it at about 7 metres tall.

What is the difference between the white and the pink Winter Cherry?

The colour. Autumnalis is white from pink buds and Autumnalis Rosea is pale pink. Both have semi-double flowers and bloom over the same months.

Does it need full sun?

Yes. The RHS asks for full sun and moderately fertile soil, and we recommend a sheltered spot as well, where it flowers best.

When should you prune it?

In mid-summer, if at all. The RHS puts it in pruning group 1, which needs little pruning, and advises cutting in mid-summer where silver leaf is a problem.

Can you cut the flowers for the house?

Yes. It has long been valued by flower arrangers because it blooms in winter.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot trees are delivered from November to April, while they are dormant. Pot-grown trees can be delivered and planted in any month when you find them in stock.