Pink Autumn Flowering Cherry Trees

• Variety: Autumnalis Rosea, the pink Cherry that flowers through the winter
• Common name: Pink Autumn Flowering Cherry, Pink Winter Flowering Cherry, Rosebud Cherry
• Latin name: Prunus x subhirtella 'Autumnalis Rosea'
• Sold as: Bareroot half-standard, 200/250cm tree, 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth standards and a 2.2m clear-stem standard. Pot-grown in 10 and 12 litre pots
• Mature size: Up to 7m tall
• Flowers: Semi-double, pale pink, opening in mild spells from late autumn to early spring
• Leaves: Bronze in spring, green in summer, yellow in autumn
• Shape: Spreading, light and open
• Best soil and site: Any moist but well-drained 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 Rosea is a small, spreading Cherry that opens pale pink, semi-double flowers in every mild spell from late autumn to early spring. It grows up to 7 metres tall in any well-drained soil in full sun, and its light branches cast little shade.

Pink Autumn Flowering Cherry Trees

Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis Rosea, or Rosebud Cherry, is the pink version of the Winter flowering cherry tree.
The dark pink buds open into pastel pink flowers from late October to February. The small leaves are bronze in spring, turning green in summer and gold in autumn. It's best to plant this tree beside a path or seated area, where it can be admired up close. The small, bitter fruit attract birds.

It's a petite, slender tree with an elegant, open form, lots of thin twigs and light branches that cast very little shade, so it's a really useful tree to plant in a border because they won't block much sun from reaching your other plants. It's suitable for a small garden, reaching up to 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. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Growing Prunus Autumnalis Rosea

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.

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 white form of the same tree flowers alongside it, and Okame follows with the first strong pink of spring. For colour at ground level in the same months, the winter stems of Midwinter Fire Dogwood sit well beneath it. There are more under trees for ornamental interest. Dust the 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

Does the Autumn Flowering Cherry really flower in winter?

Yes. It does not put on one show in April. Its flowers open in mild weather from late autumn to early spring, a few at a time, with a pause in hard frost.

How big does Autumnalis Rosea grow?

Up to about 7 metres tall.

Is it a good tree for a small garden?

Yes. It is slender and open, with thin twigs and light branches that cast very little shade, so you can plant it in a border without starving what grows beneath.

What is the difference between this and the Winter Flowering Cherry?

Colour. This one has pale pink flowers from dark pink buds; the Winter Flowering Cherry is the white form. They flower over the same months.

Where should you plant it?

In full sun and with some shelter, which is where it flowers best, in any soil that drains. Put it beside a path or a seat, where you see the blossom up close.

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.