Tree Categories: Fall Color Trees, Flowering Trees, Ornamental Trees, and Shade Trees
Mature Tree Height: 20-40 feet tall | Mature Tree Width: 20-30 feet wide
Tree Growing Zones: Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, and Zone 9
The Kwanzan Cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’) is a small- to medium-sized flowering ornamental tree. It has a very elegant form with an upright and spreading habit and a rounded, vase-shaped crown. The tree is absolutely lovely during its spring bloom. Early on in the season, large double pink flowers emerge in clusters to create one of the showiest displays of any other Japanese cherry tree. The flowers are backed by leaves that are maroon when they first appear and mature to a handsome green for the summer and provide adequate shade. The leaves turn a nice yellow during the fall season.
The Kwanzan Cherry has been developed in Japan for centuries, records have been found of this tree in old Japanese nursery catalogs in 1681 and started being sold in the United States after 1880. This tree is a fruitless cultivar. It does great planted on its own to show off its attractive form and spring, summer, and fall displays or can be planted in groups for bigger, more striking spring blooms. It also can be used as a showy street tree in suburban or rural environments but will not tolerate urban pollution. Does best in full sun and moist, well-drained soils.
