Appreciation: Cherries that look like real trees

Cherries that look like real trees

We're not doing much to promote the idea that ornamental cherries can be good-looking trees. Most of what gets posted on our forums are fat poles with a bunch of skinny limbs affixed at the graft point, with or without huge cankers to emphasize the graft.

I've been thinking we could use a collection of photos of good-looking trees, to create some awareness of what real trees look like. These photos have all been posted in the Neighbourhood Blogs, so it's not really that we've never seen photos of good-looking trees. They just are not really featured here.

Most of the trees I want to post here are not grafted, though some might be low-grafted, maybe even onto some compatible rootstock.

Even 'Whitcomb' can look nice. The first one is in Ferndale, on Axton Road (edited: address is 1575 Main St (= W. Axton Road), seen on a google map). Anne Eng's photo is on Fleming at 32nd.


'Beni-shidare': In the first photo, the tree at the back seems maybe not to be grafted, Anne Eng's photo. The second tree is at 13th and Fir.


'Somei-yoshino': Mariko Izaki was very fond of this tree that she photographed at Prince Edward and Woodstock. Festival Volunteer Betty Kao photographed the second photo at UBC. The third is Mariko's photo from Queen Elizabeth Park.


'Akebono': Douglas Justice has mentioned several times that these trees are not hard to root from cuttings. Some of the new plantings do seem to not be grafted and not be pinched to an unnatural shape. Here is a nice possibly ungrafted tree on 21st at Tupper.


Anne Eng photographed this 'Tai Haku' at Fleming and 39th. [Edited April 13, 2020] This photo is from 2009. In 2020, this tree looks like it is fading, has been posted at Kensington-Cedar Cottage.


'Ukon': I called this "not a Ukon", but probably it is an 'Ukon', at Washelli Cemetery in north Seattle.


'Snow Goose': I saw this tree at Savill Garden, Windsor. Most of the new 'Snow Goose' plantings seem at least to be low grafted. This one is assumed to have been grown from a cutting.


We haven't got a name for this yet, but we know it was grown from seed, at Fremlin and 43rd. This is Douglas Justice's photo.


'Choshu-hizakura', the only one we know, on 27th east of Ash:

 

Re: Cherries that look like real trees

Invasive out your way, but straight natural type Prunus avium can make a tree 30 metres tall, occasionally even 35 metres, and with a trunk up to a metre and a half diameter.

Example: http://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/photos/16356/

 

Re: Cherries that look like real trees

Michael, I know mazzard cherries want to grow straight and tall, but I if were going to post a photo of a nice-looking one (and I was not going to do that, but now I feel I have to in their defense), I would not have chosen one that looked quite like that (though it is instructive to see it). Here are some Prunus avium I like in the city. Trees are at Burnaby and Cardero in the West End, 66th near Adera, and what I was told was probably an old orchard tree on the corner of 54th and Osler.

 

Re: Cherries that look like real trees

Here is a 'Shirofugen' photo I just came across from the Washelli Cemetery in Seattle.

 

Here is an 'Ukon' posted by @Nadia White Rock in 2012 from 17 Ave and 137 Street in the White Rock neighbourhood.

 

I hope to figure out what this tree is next year! A mid-season bloomer, on Malvern Street in Burnaby. [Edited]:It's 'Tai-haku'.

 

Here is another good-looking 'Whitcomb' cherry I drove past today in North Delta, on Nicholson Road near 72 Avenue.

 

The 'Somei-yoshino' at 51st and Beechwood in Kerrisdale was posted by @mweaver in 2009 - a very beautiful tree.

 

Here is a good-looking 'Accolade' on Beechwood at 57th.

 

This mature 'Akebono' appears to not be grafted, though the bottom of the trunk is not accessible. It's at the lane east from Collingwood on West 18th Avenue.

 

There hasn't been a 'Kanzan' posted here yet. I came across an old posting of mine, of a tree at 33rd and Granville.

 

We've got it - 'Tai-haku'. Actually, it looks quite a bit like the one in Anne Eng's photo from 39th and Fleming, what led me last year to guess 'Tai-haku'.
The first is Shirley Willard's photo in 2018; the second is Judith Anderson's in 2021.

 

Nadia White Rock posted an 'Akebono' on Alpha south of Hastings, in Burnaby.

 

Here is another beautiful 'Accolade' in Burnaby on McGregor south of Rumble. The photo, posted by Blossomfollower, is from 2014.

 

There is a development permit on the grounds where Anne Eng photographed this shapely 'Akebono'. This photo is from 2010; the tree was posted with the permit application in 2020. Edited 2023apr18 by wcutler: this tree is no longer there.

 

A friend put me onto this 'Akebono' on 7th west of Blanca. Anne Eng went to get the photo for me. What a beauty.

 

Anne Eng also found this 'Akebono' at West 53rd where Beechwood ends.

 

We haven't had a 'Shirotae' here yet. This wide-spreading tree was just posted in Burnaby on Casewell Street.

 

Here is 'Yae-beni-shidare', posted by Anne Eng on W. 24th between Laurel and Willow, in the South Cambie neighbourhood.

 

These 'Kanzan' at the Fraser Cemetery at Richmond and Cumberland in New Westminster were photographed by Shirley Willard.

 

Here is another 'Kanzan' in New Westminster, one that I posted in 2015 at the Massey Theatre.

 

Shirley Willard posted this 20-year old 'Whitcomb' in the Sunshine Coast / Gulf Islands thread.

 

The complete lack of pinkness makes me wonder about the identification

 

@wcutler, by "flowering cherries", do you mean any of the "flowering Prunus" ?

On my way to buy some stuff for the garden, I saw many big flowering trees, white or pink. To me, none of them can be "cherry trees", it's much too early here, they must be some kind of Prunus, not Prunus avium...

 

Alain, I mean any of the ornamental flowering cherries, so not plums or apricots. And not single-flowered Prunus avium.
You are welcome to post any flowering cherries for ID at (3) Ornamental Cherries | UBC Botanical Garden Forums.
If you know what they are, you could post them in the thread for the cultivar in (3) Ornamental Cherries | UBC Botanical Garden Forums or in a separate thread in that forum.