Weeping Cherry Tree Care: How to Grow Weeping Cherry Trees

Weeping cherry trees are deciduous, ornamental trees with cascading branches and clusters of flower blooms. The trees can grow up to thirty-five feet tall and wide.

Its pendulous branches are soft and limp, which makes the trees droop toward the ground. As a result, weeping cherry trees have an umbrella-like appearance, similar to the weeping willow.

The flowering cherry trees produce blooms that grow as single flowers or sometimes in clusters around green leaves. Weeping cherry trees will sometimes produce red cherry fruits, but these are often inedible.

There are many weeping cherry blossom tree varieties, each with unique weeping habits and flower blooms. There are also many types of small cherry trees, called dwarf trees, which grow less than fifteen feet tall.

1. 1. Ascending weeping cherry tree (Prunus pendula var. ascendens ‘Rosea’): This type of tree has a long lifespan—sometimes more than a hundred years—and for its wide branches.
2. 2. Double Pink weeping cherry tree (Prunus pendula ‘Pendula Plena Rosea’): Dating back to seventeenth-century Japan, this weeping cherry has long drooping branches with pink blooms that move downward due to the weight of the double flowers.
3. 3. Single Pink weeping cherry tree (Prunus pendula ‘Pendula Rubra’): A smaller weeping cherry, often grown in planter boxes, that produce single pink flowers.
4. 4. Weeping Fuji cherry tree (Prunus ‘Snow Showers’): This tree’s arching branches become covered with white flowers in early spring and emit a pleasant fragrance.
5. 5. Weeping Higan (Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula’): The tree’s leaves are green from summer to fall before turning yellow and falling off in winter.
6. 6. Weeping Yoshino (Prunus x yedoensis ‘Shidare-Yoshino’): This tree grows up to twenty-five feet with a wide spread of weeping branches and showy white flowers.
7. 7. Cheal’s weeping cherry tree (Prunus serrulata ‘Kiku-Shidare-Zakura’): This type has full and luscious flowers.
8. 8. Snow Fountain Dwarf weeping cherry tree (Prunus serrulata ‘Snow Fountain’): Snow fountains are a dwarf variety known for their clusters of white flowers and branches that reach the ground.
9. 9. Japanese Flowering Dwarf weeping cherry tree (Prunus ‘Kiku-Shidare-Zakura’): A small tree with vibrant pink blooms that grow in thick clusters.
10. 10. Hiromi Dwarf weeping cherry tree (Prunus jacquemontii ‘Hiromi’): One of the smallest ornamental cherry tree varieties that is a popular choice for landscaping.

Most weeping cherry trees will grow well in USDA hardiness zones four through eight, and the colorful blooms make a wonderful focal point in a yard or garden.

1. 1. Choose the right time for planting. It’s best to plant weeping cherry trees in the early spring or late spring, or before the first buds and leaves appear. However, you can transplant a cherry tree any time of year.
2. 2. Prepare your area for planting. Choose an area where the cherry tree will receive full sun or partial shade and won’t be too crowded. While weeping cherry tree varieties require different soil structures, you generally want soil that has good drainage and is relatively loose for good air circulation.
3. 3. Dig a hole for planting. Create a hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide.
4. 4. Place the tree in the soil. Fill the hole with soil and pack it down firmly to remove any air pockets. You may also want to support a young tree with a stake during the first year if it can’t stand on its own.

Weeping cherry trees are generally drought-tolerant, but they require extra attention.

• Watering: Regularly water your cherry tree during the growing season, especially during hot or dry seasons. The soil should be moist, but not so much that it’s waterlogged or soggy. You can spread a layer of mulch about two inches high around the tree to help it retain moisture. You won’t need to water the tree during the winter months.
• Fertilizing: Use a slow-release fertilizer or compost in early spring to promote new growth.
• Pruning: In the spring, cherry trees will grow suckers at the base of the trunk, which you’ll need to remove. At the base of the trunk, you might also find new sprouts which you should remove. You can prune damaged or diseased branches year-round.
• Root rot: If the foliage on your cherry tree is turning yellow or brown during the growing season or has wooly fungus, the root system might have rotted. You will need to buy a fungicide to treat the rootstock and avoid planting in the surrounding area as the disease can spread.
• Pests and insects: Weeping cherry trees are especially susceptible to pest infestations. Try to wash the leaves with a hose roughly once a week to knock off any aphids or spider mites. You can also spray the tree with neem oil or another natural pesticide.

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