Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry

Light Needs

Partial Sun to Full Sun

(At Least 5 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

15-20 Feet

Mature Spread

15-20 Feet

Growing Zones

5 to 8

Turn your yard into a springtime daydream with Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry. In early spring, arching branches drip with pale pink, lightly fragrant blossoms that draw every eye and plenty of pollinators. It matures around 15–20 feet tall and wide, creating a small ornamental tree with enough presence for a front lawn, courtyard, or garden island. Botanically known as Prunus × yedoensis 'Shidare Yoshino', it carries the beloved Yoshino cherry bloom on a weeping frame rather than an upright canopy. 

This deciduous flowering cherry blooms in early spring before the leaves fully expand, then settles into green summer foliage and yellow fall color. It grows at a moderate pace and is best used as a specimen, at the center of a curved bed, or as a pair flanking a wide entrance. Its arching branch structure gives winter interest, especially when planted where the silhouette can stand against lawn, stone, or evergreen shrubs. We recommend giving it a visible spot from a window or patio, because the bare-branch bloom display is too good to hide in the back of a planting.

Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry Care

Plant Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry in full sun, giving it at least 6 hours of direct light for the strongest bloom set. It adapts to clay, loam, sandy, and acidic soils, provided the site drains well. A slightly acidic to neutral soil pH, roughly 6.0–7.0, is a good target for steady growth.

Water deeply after planting, then continue watering when the top 2 inches of soil are dry during the first growing season. After establishment, provide supplemental water during extended dry spells, especially if leaves wilt or the tree is growing in reflected heat. Feed once in early spring with a slow-release tree and shrub fertilizer, and expect the tree to go fully dormant after leaf drop in fall.

Prune only as needed, since the weeping form is the reason to grow this tree. Remove dead, broken, crossing, or crowded branches in late winter or very early spring before new growth begins. Keep mulch spread over the root zone, but leave a clear ring around the trunk to reduce bark problems.

Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry Spacing

Space Weeping Yoshino Flowering Cherry 20–30 feet from other trees so the canopy can arch naturally. Plant at least 12–15 feet from buildings, fences, and walks unless you plan to guide the branches with selective pruning. For containers, use only as a young temporary patio specimen in a large 24–30 inch planter before moving it into the ground. Pair it in the landscape with azaleas and rhododendron for spring layering, pieris shrubs for evergreen structure, and columbine beneath the canopy for light woodland color.

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