Among the most popular and spectacular spring-flowering trees, flowering cherries with their frothy masses of pink or white blossoms usually signal the end of winter and reveal the first blush of spring. 

Most cherry tree varieties bloom in spring over a season that usually lasts several weeks. However, changes in weather conditions may have an impact on the time of flowering, advancing or delaying the appearance of the beloved cherry blossoms by several weeks. Generally, the milder the climate, the earlier the blossoms open.

The cherry blossom season is relatively short. There may be 2 or 3 weeks between the opening of the first blossom and the shedding of the petals. Generally, the double flowers last longer than the single ones. Strong wind and rain can reduce the blooming season even shorter.

Not all cherry trees bloom at the same time. There are early bloomers such as Prunus pendula 'Pendula Rosea' and Prunus x yedoensis (Yoshino cherry). They are followed by garden cherries, including the lovely Prunus 'Accolade', the deep pink Prunus pendula 'Pendula Rosea', and pure white Prunus 'Umineko'. Closing the spring season is the incredibly popular Prunus 'Kanzan' or Prunus 'Shogetsu'. 

Some Cherry tree varieties enjoy a particularly long blooming season and flower in flushes in the fall and during the winter months. Among them are Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis Rosea' (Rosebud Cherry) and Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis'.

Since these pretty cherry blossoms do not last very long,  you may want to select ornamental cherries with multi-season interest. Some flowering cherries display wonderful fall color, with their foliage turning brilliant shades of gold, red, or orange, before shedding to the ground and revealing the beauty of their gnarled trunks or the graceful outline of their branches.