Prunus ‘Amanogawa’ (Japanese Flowering Cherry)

Ideal for small gardens, award-winning Prunus ‘Amanogawa’ is a small, narrowly columnar deciduous tree boasting profuse, semi-double pale pink flowers hugging closely the erect branches in mid to late spring. Sweetly fragrant, the cherry blossoms stand upright at the side of the branches. Opening from pink buds, the large saucer-shaped blooms, almost 2 in. across (4.5 cm), count up to 6-15 petals. They fade to almost white as they mature and display a purplish pink heart just before shedding. Emerging bronze-green, the leaves turn to mid-green before turning red and orange in fall. Healthy, hardy, and easily propagated, it is a popular tree for very small gardens.

‘Amanogawa’ means ‘Heaven’s River’ in Japanese and refers to the galaxy, viewed as a river in Japan. This cultivar dates back to 1886 and was introduced in Europe around 1916.

• Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
• Typically grows with a columnar habit when young, becoming vase-shaped with age. Can reach 20-25 ft. in height (6-8 m) and 4-8 ft. wide (1-2 m).
• Performs best in full sun in moist, relatively fertile, well-drained soils.
• Perfect choice as single specimen plants, mixed borders, and lawns.
• Prune in midsummer if silver leaf is a problem
• Watch for caterpillars, leaf-mining moths, bullfinches, silver leaf, bacterial canker and blossom wilt.
• Propagate by budding or grafting, although softwood cuttings in early summer with bottom heat can be successful.