Prunus Subhirtella Fukubana Winter Flowering Cherry

Prunus Subhirtella Fukubana is a small and pretty, deciduous, winter flowering cherry tree that is perfect for small spaces and chalky soils. Wintering flowering cherries bring a special warmth to bare winter UK gardens with their semi-double rose pink flowers clinging to bare branches like candyfloss well before any foliage appears. Winter flowering cherries can bloom anytime between November and March but are most likely to flower in the early new year when light levels are longer. Early pollinators love winter flowering cherry as its one of the few nectar sources around in the colder months.

After the pretty pink flowers have fallen dark green leaves unfurl into sharply toothed long ovals. They emerge bronze, mature into a dark green, and turn yellow in summer before falling with the autumn frosts. During winter the chocolate brown trunk and bare branches reach upward forming a neat vase-shaped crown.

Prunus Subhirtella Fukubana does not produce any fruits – it is an ornamental cherry and one of the most striking you can buy.

Height and Spread of Prunus Subhirtella Fukubana
Wintering flowering cherry Fukubana is a small deciduous tree that’s a medium grower. It will reach 4-8 metres over 10–20 years.

How Hardy Is Prunus Subhirtella Fukubana
Wintering flowering cherry is a very hardy tree that’ll withstand UK temperatures down to sub-zero degrees if it’s grown in well-drained soil.
Relatively pest free and drought tolerant once established, Prunus Subhirtella Fukubana is a low-maintenance tough little tree beneath its pretty and delicate flowers.

How To Use Prunus Subhirtella Fukubana
Perfect as a small feature tree, winter flowering cherries are best planted where you can see them from a window in the cold months. Wildlife and kitchen gardens benefit from winter flowering cherry as they feed the early pollinators.

When grown over a water source in a Japanese style garden they make a spectacular show, pairing well with acers and silver birch trees.

Winter flowering cherry also grows well in a fence-side border where its blooms are protected from harsh drying winds and they make pretty, compact front garden trees too.

How To Care For Prunus Subhirtella Fukubana
Despite its delicate appearance winter flowering cherry needs very little care.
It prefers full sun and will grow more flowers in a sunny spot especially when it’s sheltered from cold winds. Fukubana will grow in any type of well-drained soil but does best in chalky, alkaline conditions.
No pruning is necessary and there is no need to clear away messy fruits as none are produced on this ornamental cherry.
Water well until established and give it a thick layer of mulch in late winter or early spring for a healthy growing season.