Prunus tomentosa
Downy cherry, Nanking cherry
- Height × spread
- 2.5m × 5m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Spring
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This cherry is a shrub rather than a tree. It generally stands erect with upreaching branches and spreading branches that will eventually make a plant rather wider than high. It has single flowers that make a fan-shaped bloom, coloured white with red-orange stamens at their heart. This flowers at the end of March, going into April. The flowers are followed by some small red cherries that are a feature in midsummer. The tree has dark green leaves and that have tomentose on their underside. This needs a sheltered spots as the flowers are very fragile.
- Flower colour
- White
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Fruit colour
- Red
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Dome
- Height
- 2.5m
- Spread
- 5m
- Height in 10 years
- 1.5m
- Spread in 10 years
- 3m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Spring
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Bee attraction, Sensory garden (tactile)
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed young plants with slow release fertiliser
Spread a slow release fertiliser around the base of the plant to the edge of the foliage spread, so that it can feed the roots. It is helpful for this to be applied for several years.
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost until the plant becomes well established.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Found in
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