Kanzan Cherry Blossom Trees

• Variety: Kanzan, the double pink Cherry
• Also known as: Sekiyama, Kwanzan
• Latin name: Prunus 'Kanzan'
• 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 in 10 and 12 litre pots
• Mature size: 8 to 12m tall and wider than 8m, over 20 to 50 years
• Flowers: Double, purplish-pink, 5cm across, opening from crimson buds in late April
• Leaves: Coppery-brown when young, then dark green, colouring again in autumn
• Shape: Stiffly vase-shaped when young, spreading later
• Best soil and site: Any moderately fertile soil that drains, chalk and clay included. Full sun
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS AGM: Yes (1993)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Kanzan is one of the most popular Cherry blossoms outside Japan: double, purplish-pink flowers 5cm across, opening from crimson buds in late April among coppery-brown young leaves. Vase-shaped when young and spreading later, it grows in any well-drained soil in full sun and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Kanzan Cherry Blossom Trees

Prunus Kanzan / Kwanzan cherry blossom trees are suitable for most average sized gardens. It's vigorous, upright and narrow when young, spreading with age up to about 8 metres across.
Kanzan carries attractive bronze young foliage that turns dark green as it matures. The young leaves contrast well with the masses of rich pink double flowers produced in late spring. In a final flourish, the leaves colour beautifully before falling in Autumn.
It can reach a height of about 9-10 metres.

Browse our variety of cherry blossom trees or our full range of ornamental trees.

Delivery season: Ornamental cherry 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. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Growing Kanzan Cherry Trees

Suitable for any well drained soil, we recommend planting in full sun.

History & Trivia

Also known as Sekiyama at home in Japan, where it was bred in the Edo period from various Prunus species including the Oshima cherry, Prunus speciosa. Kanzan is the Japanese rendering of the Chinese ideogram Hanshan, Cold Mountain, which is the name of a legendary sage and a temple named after him in Jiangsu, China.

As the moon falls from a frosty sky, a crow cries
On the shadowy banks in the River Maple, fishing boats glitter with torches
Outside Gusu city, at Hanshan (Cold Mountain) Temple,
On my boat, the midnight bell rings for me.

~ A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge, Zhang Ji

It was brought to Britain in 1913, and has become one of the most popular cherry blossoms outside of Japan. Prunus Royal Burgundy is derived from it.

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 classic trio sets Kanzan's pink doubles beside two whites, Shirotae and Tai-haku. Royal Burgundy is Kanzan's purple-leaved sport, with the same flower. The Crab Apple Evereste flowers in the same fortnight. 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 Kanzan 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

How big does a Kanzan Cherry grow?

The RHS gives it 8 to 12 metres in height and more than 8 metres in spread, over 20 to 50 years. We have always said 9 to 10 metres, and about 8 across.

When does Kanzan flower?

In late April, for two to three weeks. The double flowers open from crimson buds at the same time as the coppery-brown young leaves.

Kanzan or Royal Burgundy?

The flower is the same, because Royal Burgundy is a sport of Kanzan. Choose Kanzan for green summer leaves and Royal Burgundy for purple ones.

Is Kanzan good for bees?

Not especially. The RHS does not list it as a Plant for Pollinators. If that matters to you, plant the single-flowered Tai-haku, which it does list.

What shape is a Kanzan Cherry?

Stiffly vase-shaped when young, then spreading with age until the crown is wider than 8 metres. Give it the room the old tree will need, not the young one.

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.