Prunus Shirotae cherry trees

Mount Fuji cherry trees

If there's one cherry tree you must make room for in your garden, it is Prunus Shirotae, or the Mount Fuji cherry. Perfect for any sized garden Shirotae grows to about 4m tall and a little wider. The white semi-double spring blossom is some of the earliest to appear, and beautifully scented. The bark is striated and a glossy plum colour and the elegant serrated leaves, which appear after the blossom, turn from green to yellow, then a warm, fiery orange in autumn. In short, it looks fabulous all year round. Even in winter, its wide spreading shape and flat crown is enough to make you stop and stare. If you're after pink cherry blossom, a bigger tree, or a more upright shape, take a look at the other flowering cherry trees in our range.

Planting perfection

The most important thing is to give Shirotae space to shine. It needs to steal the show when it comes into blossom, so make sure it's planted as a focal point - so you can see it without anything else getting in the way and ideally where a vivid blue spring sky can be a backdrop. When a vivid blue sky happens of course... Avoid areas near paths or parking spaces as the branches can be pretty low and often reach to the ground. It's not fussy in most respects, but does need well-drained soil. A few spring bulbs planted around the base will complement Shirotae's seasonal beauty. Think crocuses, muscari, or a quietly lovely daffodil such as Hawera that won't steal its' thunder.

Features

• Final height/spread: 4m x 6m
• Foliage: deciduous
• Use: specimen
• Features: scented spring blossom, amber autumn leaves, great spreading shape with a flat crown
• Soil: well drained
• Native: no
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Talking Japanese

Shirotae is also known as Mount Fuji because of its likeness, when in bloom, to the holy Japanese mountain eternally capped with snow. It was introduced to Britain in the early 1900s from Japan. Shirotae is Japanese for the fine, white cloth made from the bark of the paper mulberry.