For hundreds of years, cherry
trees have been cultivated in the Far East for their ornamental blossoms. These
same trees are now being planted in Britain there they bring a welcome splash
of color to our towns and cities in spring.
Among the most attractive of all
the trees in Britain are the ornamental cherries. So called because they are planted
for their appearance rather than for their fruits, which are usually inedible.
Ornamental cherries are becoming increasingly popular in towns and cities since
many are small compact trees, ideal for growing in the confined space of a
street or a small garden,
There is now a wide range of
varieties to choose from, with differing flower colors and branching patterns.
Even outside their flowering period, some ornamental cherries have distinct and
beautiful harks and on many the leaves are brightly colored, both in spring
when they emerge and in autumn before they fall.
Oriental cherries ! Britain's native cherries, the gean or
wild cherry and the bird cherry, have been valued for their ornamental qualities
for hundreds of years. But almost all the ornamental cherries being planted
nowadays originate in the Far East, especially in China and Japan. Both these
countries have a profusion of cherry species growing wild. Which have long been
cultivated for their ornamental value rather than for their fruits. In Japan,
especially, flowering cherries are venerated.
Temples, shrines and other holy
places are planted with them. They are frequent subjects for Japanese art and
there is a host of legends and traditional stories surrounding them. Japan is
famous for its massed plantations of cherries, which attract hundreds of
thousands of visitors at blossom time each year.
The oriental cherries were
introduced to Europe during, the 19th century, when trade routes to the Far
East were opened up. But many of the varieties that had been cultivated in the
East for so long arrived in Britain only during this century. Their
introduction and subsequent popularization was due to one man-Captain
Collingwood Ingram.
Japanese cherry ! The first oriental cherry to be introduced
to Britain was the Japanese cherry (Prunus serrulata), also known as the
oriental cherry. It arrived in Britain in 1822 from Canton in China, though it
is more commonly grown in Japan. Where are varieties of this species are
greatly treasured and known as Sato Zakura (Japanese liar 'village cherries`).
Despite its popularity in Japan, this species is actually native to China but
was introduced to Japan many hundreds of years ago.
The Japanese cherry is the most
widely planted ornamental cherry in Britain. And the hundreds of varieties that
have been developed around the world, at least 60 are grown here. They differ
mainly in the color and arrangement of the flowers and in the flowering period.
They all have purple-brown barks with rows of protruding lenticels. The leaves,
which are oval with a long, tapering point and toothed margins, turn a handsome
pink, red or golden-yellow in the autumn. Japanese cherries can grow as tall as
15m (50ft), but most are much shorter than this.
Common varieties The most popular
variety of Japanese cherry grown in Britain is 'Kanzan', which hears masses of
deep pink, produced that the branches, which for most of the year are fairly
upright, hang down under the weight.
Another commonly grown variety is
'Shimidsu', which has pendulous branching clusters of flowers. Each cluster
consists of three to six large, white, double flowers. They open just after
`Kanzan1 in late April or early May. Two other common varieties with very
different habits are `Amanogawa' and `Cheat's Weeping'. The former has a narrow
upright shape and resembles a Lombardy poplar; its flowers are pink and
semi-double. The latter variety has very pendulous branches that may almost
touch the ground; its flowers can be either pink or white. Both these varieties
flower earlier than `Kanzan'.
The variety 'Tai-Haku' has a most
unusual history. In 1923, Captain Collingwood Ingram noticed an unusual cherry
tree growing in a garden in Sussex. At first he could not identify it; but,
during a visit to Japan, he discovered that it used to grow there but became
extinct during the 18th century. The Japanese called it 'Tai-Haku'. Ingram
later reintroduced it into its native country, but no one yet knows how it came
to be growing in a Sussex garden. The flowers of `Tai¬1-1aku' are white and
spectacularly large up to 8cm (3in) across, which is larger than those of any
other variety.
Sargent's cherry is another
popular ornamental species is Sargent's cherry (Prunus sargentii). This is
named after Charles Surgent, of the Arnold Arboretum in Boston USA. Who on a visit to Japan in 1890 discovered it
growing on the slopes of Mount Fujiyama? Sargent's cherry sometimes grows as
tall as 20m (65ft), which is a notable height for a cherry. The bark resembles
that of the Japanese cherry, except that it is smoother and glossy. The flowers
open in the middle of April and are borne in clusters of two to five densely
massed along the branches. The flowers themselves are pink and single.
The leaves on a Sargent's cherry
are also attractive. Appearing slightly after the flowers have opened, they are
reddish-purple at first and, with the pink flowers, make a striking combination
of colors. As the leaves mature they turn dark green, but in autumn become a
spectacular bright orange or crimson. Sargent's cherry is one of the first
trees to change color in the autumn, often as early as the beginning of
September. In shape, its leaves resemble the leaves of a Japanese cherry.
Rose-bud Cherry! This is another species of ornamental
cherry native to Japan. The rose-bud cherry (Prunus subhiriella) is also known
as the spring cherry was introduced to Britain in 1895. There are many
varieties of this species, including those with double flowers and others with
a weeping habit. But one variety in particular, `Autumnalis', is especially
popular since it flowers throughout the winter.
Not surprisingly, it is also
known as the winter-flowering cherry. The majority of its pale pink flowers
appear in November or April, but in between these months a small number of
flowers regularly appear on its otherwise bare branches. In the wild, the
rose-bud cherry can grow to a height of 20m (651t), though cultivated trees are
usually much smaller.
Tibetan Cherry! not all ornamental cherries are grown for
their flowers. The Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula) is planted primarily for its
unusual and attractive bark. In autumn the outer bark peels away in narrow
bands from the trunk and branches to reveal new bark of a rich mahogany-brown
color with rings of paler lenticels.
Unfortunately, the flowers are relatively
insignificant for an ornamental cherry, being small and white. Since they
emerge at the same time as the leaves, they tend to be obscured.
The Tibetan cherry is native to
western China and was introduced to Britain in 1908. In cultivation it grows to
a height of about 8m. Also Read: The Tree of 40 Fruits
A Profusion of Hybrids
These four species and their
varieties cover most of the ornamental cherries grown in Britain. But there are
also many hybrids that have been developed from these and other species. One
particularly common hybrid is the Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis), which is
a cross between the rose-bud cherry and the Oshino cherry. The Yoshino is one
of the earliest cherries to flower, appearing in March. The single flowers are
pink or white. Many other hybrids and varieties are still being developed.
The Tibetan cherry is unusual
among ornamental cherries in being planted for its brightly colored bark rather
than its flowers. Its bark is at its best in the autumn, when the outer layer
peels away in bands to reveal rich mahogany-Coloured new bark. Source: CP
