A Sucker for Sakura

Ornamental Cherry Trees

First published in the March 2025 Grapevine, the newsletter for Yamhill County Master Gardeners

They blossom, and then

We gaze, and then the blooms

Scatter, and then . . .

Poet Uejima Onitsura 1661-1738

Once upon an ornamental cherry tree farm in Boring, Oregon, a dad passed the gardening gene on to his daughter. Nursery work was difficult and dirty. She may have whined about weeding more than once. She may have run from the field crying of bees. She may have clipped a finger tip instead of a tree sucker. But in the end, this girl prefers dirt to a desk, and she remains smitten with sakura. 

Ornamental by definition means merely decorative and without purpose. Flowering cherry trees are certainly grown for their beauty and as a symbol of spring. But they are so much more than a pretty face. Just take a moment to listen to the hum of a Prunus ‘Yoshino’ at peak bloom. There is a reason that honeybee swarms have come to rest twice on my “ornamental” cherry trees. 

Let’s also talk about those tiny, bitter “decorative” drupes that are not fit for human consumption. The nesting birds would like a word. Our feathered friends are big fans of the little cherries and also eat the blossoms. The birds help the bees spread a wealth of cherry pollen.

I am amazed at the Bushtit feeding frenzy that has petals tossed through the air like confetti every spring. Though it may be wise to quickly harvest a few flowers for yourself. Sakura simple syrup and salt-pickled sakura blossoms are a delicacy.

A Peek at Peak Bloom

Sakura flowers are known to be heartbreakingly brief. There are press conferences, watch parties, and ongoing forecasts for peak bloom. That’s when 70 percent of the blossoms are open. The fear of missing out is real. What isn’t often shared is that we can strategically plant flowering cherries to enjoy the show multiple times. Different varieties bloom at different times throughout the spring. Different altitudes matter as well. It can be more of an ongoing parade than a single party. 

My collection of flowering cherry trees, all gifts from my dad, includes six varieties. That translates to over a month of flowers. The five-petaled pink Prunus ‘Okame’ bursts open in late-February. They are the first to greet buzzing bees and the resident Anna’s hummingbirds. The Okame blossoms also welcome the return of the Rufous hummingbirds. 

The weeping Prunus ‘Snow Fountain’, ‘Akebono’ (Yoshino), ‘Mt. Fuji’, and ‘Amanagowa’ light up the yard in March. The double-pink, 28-petaled Prunus ‘Kanzan’ (aka Kwanzan) are quite the spring encore in April. They come nestled in copper-colored new leaves.

Hanami Flower Viewing History

Centuries before flowering cherry trees would reach the shores of America, the Japanese people were sipping sake under the sakura. Emperor Saga held the first hanami in Kyôto in 812 C.E. This imperial court “flower viewing” celebrated the transient nature of flowers. The event expanded gradually to include the samurai and then the public. By the 1600’s, hanami picnics included everyone in the Land of the Rising Sun. It is said that none are strangers under the cherry flowers. 

As for the United States, we can thank Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore for orchestrating the famed delivery of flowering cherries to Washington D.C. Scidmore was a writer and diplomat. She was also a traveler and the first woman to sit on the board of the National Geographic Society. After visiting Japan, Scidmore spent decades campaigning for Japanese cherry trees to be planted along the Potomac. 

In 1909, Scidmore wrote a letter that caught the attention of  the First Lady.  Hellen Herron Taft, had also been to Japan and loved the flowering cherry trees. She responded to Scidmore and the two women set things in motion. The City of Tokyo offered to send two thousand trees for the project. 

To everyone’s dismay, the sakura trees arrived infested with insects and nematodes. After destroying the trees, a new shipment of 3,020 trees arrived in Seattle in 1912.  A dozen different varieties were sent by insulated freight cars to D.C.  The first “Cherry Blossom Festival” was held in 1935 and America’s obsession with sakura was afoot. 

Oregon has its own opportunities to enjoy the flowering spectacle. The Japanese American Historical Plaza at Tom McCall Waterfront Park is loaded with gorgeous Prunus ‘Akebono’ trees that were planted to commemorate the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The trees were a gift from Japan for the dedication in 1990. 

The Portland Japanese Garden has many varieties of flowering cherry trees and begins peak bloom updates in mid-March. The Gresham Japanese Garden holds a festival in March with live music called Yozakura which translates to cherry blossoms at night. The illuminated Akebono trees are said to create an ethereal glow. 

Growing Flowering Cherry Trees

Flowering cherry trees are known for living fast and dying young. However, with proper care, they can live to 100 years. In cooperation with the United States National Arboretum, cuttings were taken from the surviving 1912 shipment of Prunus ‘Yoshino’ cherry trees. Seems like a good idea to ensure preservation of that genetic lineage. 

Sakura trees are hardy in zones 5 through 8 though some of Oregon’s late snow falls can be brutal. If in peak bloom, the weight of snow or ice can mean bent or broken branches for the non-weepers. The upright trees remain beautiful, but may not be quite the same shape anymore.   

Most of us will buy our flowering cherries from a retailer. But growing from seed and softwood cuttings is slow but possible. Grafting is considered to be the advanced play. To join your cherished cherry to a sturdy rootstock, timing is key. Graft in spring when the sap is rising but the blossoms haven’t yet arrived. 

As pretty as they are in a big park, some ornamental cherry varieties are not ideal for a residential garden. ‘Yoshino’ crowns and roots grow very wide. If you are looking for a “weeping cherry” note that this is not a particular variety. Weeping is a general term for any sakura tree with drooping branches. My dad would graft weeping varieties onto rootstock at different heights. It was a novel idea at the time. I have a pair of weeping Prunus ‘Snow Fountain’ that are just four feet tall.  

The deer, due to toxins in the leaves, ignore flowering cherry trees. However, some nasty infections can occur with scary names like Black Knot Fungus, Silver Leaf Fungus, and Black Cherry Aphids (whose secretions lead to the black fungus). Insecticides are one of the few options for the aphids. 

I prefer releasing ladybugs and giving the trees the right environment. Mine have seen aphids aplenty, but bounce back. Flowering cherries like lots of sun, not too much water, and a little grooming with clippers. Take off those suckers and keep the weepers from the ground. In 20 years – knock on cherry wood – nothing has done permanent harm to any of my trees.  Not even an unfortunate SUV collision. 

If you liked this article, consider subscribing to my very nonintrusive email list. You’ll get a message when a new article has been posted. Subscribe here.