Plant Finder

Other Names:  Ornamental Cherry

Brand:  J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.

Description:

A beautiful spring flowering accent tree, smothered with fragrant double pink flowers in early spring; attractive reddish-brown bark and a beautiful, upright oval habit of growth; disease resistant dark green leaves turn orange to orange-red in autumn

Ornamental Features

Cherry (Flowering), First Blush is smothered in stunning clusters of fragrant pink flowers along the branches in early spring, which emerge from distinctive rose flower buds before the leaves. It has dark green deciduous foliage which emerges light green in spring. The pointy leaves turn outstanding shades of orange and in the fall. The smooth gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Cherry (Flowering), First Blush is a deciduous tree with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Cherry (Flowering), First Blush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Cherry (Flowering), First Blush will grow to be about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. It has a high canopy with a typical clearance of 6 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.

Special Attributes

The flowering cherry trees flower before they leaf out. Generally they don't produce fruit because the frost kills the blooms, but if they do fruit they would be a few 1/4 inch purple cherries mostly the pit.