11 MAY 2019AmAteur GArDeNING 23
theAwardofGardenmeritisa markofquality
awardedsince 1922 togardenplants(includingtrees,vegetablesand
decorative plants) by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Prunusavium‘Plena’
Anexceptionaldouble-floweredform
of ournativewildcherry,withbranches
coveredin long-lasting,purewhite
doubleflowersin April.Prolificand
breathtakingin fullblossom,it also
featuressmallredfruitsandcrimson
autumn foliage. H: 26ft (8m).
Prunus‘Accolade’
Bringstogethertwooldfavourites:
thewintercherryandPrunus
sargentiiwithitsexceptional
autumncolour.Crowdedclusters
of semi-double,palepinkflowers
aresuspendedfromthebranches
in early spring. H: 20ft (6m).
Prunus‘Hokusai’
Oneof thefirstJapanesecherriesto
begrownin Britain– andstilloneof the
best– thiselegantlyspreadingtreeis
clothedin generousclustersof semi-
doubleflowersin April.Palepink,the
bloomslooklovelyagainstthe bronzed
young foliage. H: 23ft (7m).
Prunus‘Spire’
Anexceptionalsmalltreethatis
noticeablynarrowerthanit is tall.The
bronzedspringfoliageoverlapswith
prettypinkbuds,whichopentowhite
flowers;thesearefollowedin autumn
byorangeandambertints.Ideal in
small spaces. H: 20ft (6m).
Prunusincisa‘Kojo-no-mai’
Verydistinct,smallandslow-growing,
thisMarch-floweringshrubhasstriking
zigzagbrancheslinedwithpalepink
flowersthatfadetoblushedwhiteas
theymature.Thenewleavesare
bronzed,whilein autumnthe foliage
turns fiery. H: 6½ft (2m).
trees.Yourchosenvarietywillhavebeen
graftedontoa robustrootstockandthen
lookedafterat thenurseryfora few
yearsbeforeit’sreadytosell,which
tendstobumpupthecost.Thegood
newsis that,onceyougetit home,the
treewillburstintoblossom in its first
spring in your garden.
Prolificflowering Fragrance
Alongfloweringseason
Colourfulautumnfoliage
Colourful spring foliage
What makes a good flowering cherry?
Goodavailability
Robustconstitution
Modestsize
Upright or relatively narrow growth
Prunus‘Shizuka’
Sometimesknownas‘FragrantCloud’.
Copperynewleavesoverlapwith
vanilla-scented,semi-double,pure
whiteflowersin lateAprilandMay,
thelatterdevelopinga pinkeyeover
time.Goodautumnleafcolourand
upright growth. H: 16ft (5m).