Prunus avium ‘Plena’ (Wild Cherry)
Wild Cherry, Double Gean, Prunus avium 'Grandiflora', Prunus 'Avium Flore Plena', Sweet Cherry, Bird Cherry
Cultivated for over 200 years, award-winning Prunus avium ‘Plena’ (Wild Cherry) is a spreading medium-sized deciduous tree boasting profuse, brilliant white double flowers, packed with up to 30 petals, and hanging from the branches in pendulous clusters in mid or late spring. The leaves emerge with a bronze tinge, mature to dark-green before turning a vibrant crimson in fall. Plena is a sterile variety and so has no fruit unlike Prunus avium. A large tree that is pollution tolerant and is suitable for large urban gardens.
- Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
- Grows with a pyramidal shape, becoming rounded with age, up to 30-35 ft. tall (9-10 m) and 25-35 ft. wide (7-10 m).
- Performs best in full sun in moist, relatively fertile, well-drained soils.
- Perfect choice as a single specimen plant.
- 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.
- Prunus avium species is native to Asia and Europe.
- Find where this species is invasive in the United States.
- Discover beautiful U.S. native plant alternatives.
Requirements
| Hardiness |
3 - 8 |
|---|---|
| Heat Zones |
1 - 10 |
| Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, A1, A2, A3, H1, H2 |
| Plant Type | Trees |
| Plant Family | Rosaceae |
| Genus | Cherries, Prunus - Flowering Cherry Tree |
| Exposure | Full Sun |
| Season of Interest |
Spring (Early, Mid, Late) Fall |
| Height |
30' - 35' (9m - 10m) |
| Spread |
25' - 35' (7m - 10m) |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Water Needs | Average |
| Soil Type | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
| Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Plant of Merit, Showy |
| Attracts | Birds, Butterflies |
| Garden Uses | Beds And Borders |
| Garden Styles | Informal and Cottage, Japanese Garden, Prairie and Meadow, Traditional Garden |
Alternative Plants to Consider
Recommended Companion Plants
Find In One of Our Guides or Gardens
varts / 123RF Stock Photo, Martin Ogden /www.teddingtongardener.com
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Requirements
| Hardiness |
3 - 8 |
|---|---|
| Heat Zones |
1 - 10 |
| Climate Zones | 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, A1, A2, A3, H1, H2 |
| Plant Type | Trees |
| Plant Family | Rosaceae |
| Genus | Cherries, Prunus - Flowering Cherry Tree |
| Exposure | Full Sun |
| Season of Interest |
Spring (Early, Mid, Late) Fall |
| Height |
30' - 35' (9m - 10m) |
| Spread |
25' - 35' (7m - 10m) |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Water Needs | Average |
| Soil Type | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand |
| Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
| Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained |
| Characteristics | Plant of Merit, Showy |
| Attracts | Birds, Butterflies |
| Garden Uses | Beds And Borders |
| Garden Styles | Informal and Cottage, Japanese Garden, Prairie and Meadow, Traditional Garden |
