Shirotae Cherry Trees

• Variety: Shirotae, the Mount Fuji Cherry
• Latin name: Prunus 'Shirotae'
• Sold as: Bareroot half-standard, standards of 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth, and an 8/10cm standard with a 2.2m clear stem
• Mature size: About 4m tall and 6m wide
• Flowers: Semi-double, pure white and fragrant, 5cm across, in April
• Leaves: Fresh green when young. Orange and red in autumn
• Shape: Small and spreading, with a flat crown
• Best soil and site: Moderately fertile soil, chalk included. Full sun
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: Yes (1993)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators

Shirotae, the Mount Fuji Cherry, is a small, spreading Japanese Cherry with a flat crown, fragrant, pure white, semi-double flowers 5cm across in April, and orange and red autumn leaves. It grows about 4 metres tall and 6 wide in full sun and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Shirotae Cherry Trees

If you only have room for one cherry blossom tree, Prunus Shirotae, the Mount Fuji cherry is a top pick. The white semi-double spring blossom is some of the earliest to appear, beautifully scented, and contrasts well with the dark, striated bark.
The elegant serrated leaves, which appear after the blossom, turn from green to yellow, then a warm, fiery orange in autumn. In winter, its wide spreading shape and flat crown is a fine architectural feature. In short, it looks good all year round.
Perfect for almost any sized garden, it grows to about 4m tall and about 6 wide: the largest one we know of is almost 10 metres wide.

Browse our other flowering cherry trees or all of 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 standard trees are measured by the girth of the trunk in centimetres, one metre above the ground, not by their height.

Growing Shirotae Cherry Trees

Any well drained soil. Suitable for large containers designed for trees. Full sun or partial shade. Tolerates moderate urban pollution.

Shirotae looks best with space to shine while blossoming, so make sure it's planted as a focal point, ideally with one of those famously vivid blue British spring skies as a backdrop. Avoid areas near paths and parking spaces as the branches can be pretty low, often reaching to the ground when mature.

A few spring bulbs planted around the base like crocuses, muscari, or a quietly lovely daffodil.

History & Trivia

Shirotae is a fine, snow-white cloth made from the bark of the paper mulberry. The tree is also known as Mount Fuji, the most famous of Japan's three holy mountains, which is capped with snow for half the year.
It was introduced to Britain in the early 1900s.

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

Kanzan, Tai-haku and Shirotae are the classic trio of Japanese Cherries, one pink double beside two whites. Ukon adds its greenish-yellow flowers to the set. 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 as a bareroot tree, lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Plant it between November and April, and it will establish readily.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does Shirotae grow?

About 4 metres tall and 6 wide.

Is Shirotae scented?

Yes. The flowers are fragrant, pure white and semi-double, 5cm across, set against fresh green young leaves.

Why is it called the Mount Fuji Cherry?

For its snow-white flowers. Shirotae is a fine white cloth, and Mount Fuji is capped with snow for half the year.

Where should you plant it?

In full sun, in moderately fertile soil. Keep it away from paths and parking spaces, because the branches of a mature tree hang low and can reach the ground.

When should you prune it?

In mid-summer, if at all. It is in pruning group 1, which needs little pruning; cut in mid-summer where silver leaf is a problem.

What is the 2.2m stem form?

A standard with a trunk clear of branches to 2.2 metres, the form used for avenues. The clear stem changes where the crown starts, not how big the tree grows.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your tree is lifted and sent once the season opens.