Tree · Rosaceae
Weeping Cherry
Prunus subhirtella
Give it a sunny spot and the weeping cherry rewards you with a cascade of soft pink and white blossom every April.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
USDA 4–8
15–40 ft · 4.6–12.2 m
Overview
If you have been eyeing a weeping cherry, you are looking at one of spring's kindest showpieces. Its long branches rise from a grafted standard and then tumble back toward the lawn, and in early spring, before a single leaf appears, the whole canopy softens into light pink to white flowers that dangle from those trailing stems. It sits in the rose family and comes to us from Japan, where the Higan cherry has been loved for centuries.
Almost every tree you bring home is a graft, and that is nothing to worry about. A weeping top is joined onto an upright standard rootstock, usually around 4 to 6 feet up, so the branches spill from that height instead of from the ground. Once you know that, the care makes sense: anything that sprouts from below the join will grow straight and plain, so you will simply snip those shoots away as they appear.
Give it space and it settles in fast, reaching 15 to 40 feet (4.6 to 12 m) tall with a spread to match. It is tough, forgiving, and happy across a wide swath of the country, asking very little once its roots take hold. The one thing to hold in mind is that its foliage carries the same cyanide-bearing compounds all cherries do, so a little thought about where you plant it goes a long way around grazing animals.
Care
The short version: give it full sun, moist well-drained soil, and steady water while it is young, and you are most of the way there. Feed it just once in early spring, prune gently after the flowers fade, and keep any suckers below the graft trimmed off.
Light
Plant it where it will bathe in full sun and you will get the fullest, most generous bloom. It will happily take a bit of partial shade too and still flower, so a spot that is a little less than perfect is nothing to fret over. The more direct light the canopy soaks up, the denser that spring display becomes.
Water
Aim to keep the soil moist and well drained, watering every 5 to 10 days while the tree is young or when a drought sets in. Once it is established it will forgive you the odd dry spell, so there is no need to hover. Just steer clear of leaving it in soggy ground, which is the one thing it truly dislikes.
Soil
It feels most at home in moist, fertile, well-drained loam, but it is far from fussy and will adjust to clay or sand without complaint. Any pH between 5.5 to 7.5 suits it nicely, and that range covers just about every garden soil you are likely to have.
Temperature
This is a wonderfully cold-hardy tree, at ease across a broad span from about -20°F to 100°F (-29°C to 38°C). It actually welcomes a proper winter chill, since that cold rest is what sets it up to bloom so well come spring.
Humidity
Plain outdoor air is all this tree asks for, so there is no humidity number to chase. What matters far more is good airflow through the canopy, because crowded, damp branches are what invite the leaf and bark troubles cherries can be prone to.
Feeding
A single feeding is plenty. Work in a balanced slow-release tree fertilizer in early spring as new growth begins, and resist the urge to give more. Heavier feeding only pushes out soft growth that pests and canker are quick to move into.
Pruning
Reach for the pruners right after flowering, taking out any dead, damaged, or crossing wood and tidying the weeping shape. Always remove the suckers that appear below the graft union, and go easy with the big cuts, since large wounds are what open the door to borers and canker.
Repotting
Happily, this is one you can plant and leave be. It is not a container tree, so choose its permanent home with room for the full spread and let it settle in for good.
Size & spacing
Picture a mature tree of 15 to 40 feet (4.6 to 12 m) tall with a spread of 15 to 25 feet (4.6 to 7.6 m), and give it that whole footprint from the start. Set it well clear of buildings and other trees, because it grows fast and will not thank you for being moved later on.
When to plant
Weeping cherry keeps to the cooler edges of the year, which makes the timing easy to remember. Set it in the ground while it is dormant in early spring or fall, enjoy the blooms as they open ahead of the leaves in early to mid spring, and hold your pruning until right after the flowers have faded.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Early spring or fall while dormant
- Harvest: Early to mid spring (light pink to white flowers before leaves)
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Most of the hiccups you will meet show up on the bark and twigs rather than the flowers, and the good news is they are very manageable when you catch them early. Spot a canker or a black knot gall soon enough and you can cut it away before it travels. Find your tree's symptom below, then act while the surrounding wood is still healthy.
Wilting branch tips and sunken, weeping cankers on the wood
What you are seeing is canker and dieback: fungi work their way in through wounds and slowly strangle whole limbs, sometimes with borers tunneling along underneath. Wait for a stretch of dry weather, then cut the cankered wood out well below the lesion, wiping your tools clean between each cut. A strong, well-watered tree with no fresh bark wounds is your best protection, and it is one you can easily provide.
Fix:
- Prune out cankered wood well below the lesion during dry weather
- Sterilize tools between cuts
- Improve vigor with proper watering and avoid bark wounds
Hard black galls swelling along twigs and branches
Those coal-black, corky lumps are black knot, a fungus that grabs hold of the twigs and stands out most in winter. In late winter, prune each knot out about 10 to 15 cm below the swelling and dispose of everything you cut. It also helps to clear away any wild cherry growing nearby, since it quietly feeds the same disease back to your tree.
Fix:
- Prune out knots 10-15 cm below the gall in late winter
- Destroy or remove pruned material
- Repeat inspections annually
Spotted, sticky, or nibbled leaves
A few different visitors can turn up on the foliage. Aphids and scale leave sticky honeydew and curling leaves, Japanese beetles chew the green out from between the veins, and leaf spot or leaf curl fungi leave neat lesions behind. Rinse off or treat the sap-feeders with horticultural oil, pick beetles off by hand, and rake up fallen leaves so the fungus cannot carry over to next year.
Fix:
- Hose off or treat aphids/scale with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap
- Handpick Japanese beetles
- Rake and destroy fallen diseased leaves
Toxicity
This is a lovely tree that comes with one honest caution, and it is easy to work around. Like all cherries, its leaves, twigs, bark, and seed pits hold cyanogenic glycosides that release cyanide, and wilted foliage is the riskiest of all. Keep prunings and fallen leaves well clear of horses and livestock, and gently stop pets and children from chewing the twigs or pits.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that nibbles wilted leaves, twigs, or a seed pit may show brick-red gums, widened pupils, and heavy, panting breaths. Cases like this are uncommon, but cyanide acts fast, so treat any struggle to breathe as an emergency and call your vet.
Dogs Mild
A dog that chews bark, twigs, or fallen seeds might drool, breathe hard, and show flushed red gums with dilated pupils. It rarely happens, yet a dog that has cracked into the pits should see a vet without delay.
Horses Severe
Horses face real danger here. A heap of wilted prunings tossed over the fence can bring on staggering, gasping breath, bright red mucous membranes, and convulsions, and a horse can be lost within minutes.
Rabbits Toxic
The same cyanogenic compounds make the leaves, twigs, and bark unsafe for rabbits too. Keep all cuttings and prunings out of reach, since even a little wilted foliage can lead to weakness and breathing distress.
Livestock Severe
Cattle, sheep, and goats are the classic victims of wilted-leaf cyanide poisoning. Within 15 to 20 minutes of eating fallen or pruned leaves they may slobber, breathe fast, show bright red membranes, and convulse, often with fatal results.
Birds Toxic
The cyanide in the foliage, bark, and seed pits is dangerous to birds as well, so keep poultry and pet birds from pecking at prunings or cracked pits.
People Caution
This is an ornamental tree, not a food crop. The pits, leaves, twigs, and bark all carry cyanogenic glycosides, so none of it should be eaten, and it is wise to keep curious children from chewing the seeds or foliage.
Keep pruned branches and fallen leaves away from horses and livestock, since wilting raises cyanide. Prevent pets from chewing twigs, bark, wilted leaves, or seeds.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Nearly every weeping cherry traces back to a handful of named cultivars, set apart mostly by flower color, whether the blooms are single or double, and how large the tree grows. Here are the ones worth getting to know.
'Pendula'
The classic weeping form, it carries single light-pink flowers along long cascading branches grafted atop a 4 to 6 foot standard.
'Pendula Plena Rosea'
This weeping selection swaps the single blooms for fuller, double pink flowers.
'Snofozam' (Snow Fountains)
A dwarf weeping cultivar, it spills white flowers down a low cascading frame that fits smaller gardens beautifully.
'Autumnalis'
Its semi-double pink flowers open twice over, once in fall and again in early spring.
Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis)
A related flowering cherry, this one grows upright and spreading rather than weeping, with white to pale-pink blooms.
How to propagate
Propagating a weeping cherry is honestly one for the pros, so do not feel you have missed anything by buying one. The cascading shape depends on grafting onto a tall standard, which is why nurseries do nearly all of it and a home cutting rarely captures the same look.
GraftingDemanding
Late winter to early spring (bench graft) or summer (budding) · 1-2 years to a saleable grafted tree
Grafting is how nearly every weeping cherry comes to be. Growers bench-graft in late winter or bud in summer, joining the weeping scion onto an upright standard rootstock, often Prunus avium, at 4 to 6 feet so the branches can spill from the top. Building a saleable tree takes 1 to 2 years, and the work is demanding enough that few home gardeners take it on, which is perfectly fine.
Stem cuttingsDemanding
Early summer (softwood) · Several weeks to root, 1-2 years to establish
Softwood cuttings taken in early summer will root, though only with some coaxing, needing several weeks to strike and 1 to 2 years to establish. The real catch is that a rooted cutting has no tall standard beneath it, so it never gains that elevated cascading form grafting provides, which is why this route stays uncommon.
Myths
Weeping cherries sprout from seed or cuttings and shoot straight up like any other tree.
The graceful cascade comes from a scion grafted onto an upright standard rootstock, not from a seed at all. Any sucker that pushes up below the graft union reverts to the rootstock and grows straight, so those are the shoots to snip away.
Only the flowers and fruit put animals at risk.
The petals are not really the concern here. The cyanogenic compounds build up in the leaves, twigs, bark, and seeds, and wilted foliage is the most dangerous of all to grazing animals.