Overview

Transform your garden into a springtime spectacle with the exquisite Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree. This live seedling, standing 6-12 inches tall, promises a breathtaking display of semi-double pink blossoms that gracefully transition to a soft white. Revered for its stunning floral show in mid-spring, this popular American cherry variety, scientifically known as Prunus x yedoensis, is a true standout in any landscape. Its elegant form and vibrant blooms make it an ideal choice for enhancing walkways, patios, and garden spaces, offering a touch of classic beauty and a harbinger of warmer days. Experience the joy of watching this tree mature into a magnificent specimen, providing seasonal interest year after year.

The Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree is not only admired for its beauty but also for its robust nature. It’s an excellent choice for gardeners seeking a reliable and visually impactful ornamental tree. This deciduous tree contributes to a dynamic garden design, offering lush green foliage in summer and a spectacular golden yellow-orange hue in the fall, ensuring multi-season appeal. Plant this live cherry tree and cultivate a living masterpiece that will captivate onlookers and provide a serene, picturesque environment.

Key Benefits

The Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree offers a multitude of benefits, making it an exceptional addition to any outdoor space. Its ornamental value is unparalleled, providing stunning visual interest throughout the seasons. Here are some of the key advantages of cultivating this magnificent tree:

• Spectacular Spring Blooms: Enjoy masses of large, semi-double pink flowers that gradually fade to white, creating a dynamic and enchanting display in mid-spring, often before the leaves fully emerge.
• Fragrant Beauty: The delicate blooms are slightly fragrant, adding another sensory layer to your garden experience and attracting beneficial pollinators.
• Vibrant Autumn Foliage: Beyond its spring show, this tree provides glossy dark green summer foliage that transforms into a brilliant golden yellow-orange in fall, extending its aesthetic appeal.
• Outstanding Disease Resistance: Recognized as one of the most disease-resistant flowering cherry varieties, it requires less maintenance and offers greater peace of mind for gardeners.
• Graceful Growth Habit: With an upright habit when young that gracefully spreads with age, it’s perfectly suited for various landscape applications, including accenting patios, walkways, or as a focal point in a larger garden.
• Long-Term Landscape Value: As a relatively long-lived ornamental tree, the Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree will enhance your property’s beauty and value for many years to come.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree live seedling is straightforward, ensuring a healthy and thriving plant that will provide years of enjoyment. This species is known for its resilience, making it a rewarding choice for both experienced and novice gardeners. Proper planting and consistent care in its early years will establish a strong foundation for robust growth and abundant flowering.

For optimal flowering performance, plant your live cherry tree in an area that receives partial sun, meaning it gets 4-6 hours of direct sunlight per day, ideally in the morning. While it tolerates full sun, partial sun can help prolong the bloom period and prevent stress in hotter climates. The ideal soil for the Akebono Cherry is sandy, well-drained, and rich in organic matter. Good drainage is crucial to prevent root rot. Maintain moderate soil moisture, especially during dry spells and in its first few growing seasons. Mulching around the base of the tree with a 2-3 inch layer of organic material will help retain soil moisture, regulate soil temperature, and suppress weeds. This also helps to ensure the health of your disease resistant cherry tree.

The Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8. Protect young trees during harsh winters in colder zones. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer formulated for trees and shrubs, following package directions. Pruning should be done lightly after blooming, primarily to remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches, or to maintain a desired shape. Avoid heavy pruning, as it can reduce the following year’s flower production. During winter dormancy, it’s normal for the seedling to arrive without leaves; this indicates the plant is resting and ready for spring growth.

Size & Details

This offering is for one Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree live seedling, which arrives at a height of approximately 6-12 inches tall. Each seedling is carefully grown and shipped in a 2.5-inch nursery pot, ensuring a healthy root system ready for planting. These young trees exhibit an upright growth habit initially, gradually developing a more spreading canopy as they mature. The mature size of an Akebono Cherry Tree can vary based on growing conditions, but typically reaches 20-25 feet in height with a similar spread, creating a beautiful, rounded form. The soft pink blossoms transition to white, and the green foliage turns golden yellow-orange in the fall, offering continuous seasonal interest. This spring blooming tree is a deciduous variety, meaning it will shed its leaves in autumn and remain dormant through winter, ready to burst forth with new growth and blooms in the spring.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: This Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree seedling is 6-12 inches tall upon arrival. Mature trees typically reach a height and spread of 20-25 feet, developing a graceful, spreading canopy.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The live cherry tree seedling is shipped in a 2.5-inch nursery pot, providing a secure and healthy environment for its root system during transit.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree is an outdoor ornamental tree, best suited for planting in gardens, along walkways, or as a focal point in landscapes.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This tree thrives in partial sun, which means it requires 4-6 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and flowering. It can tolerate full sun but may benefit from some afternoon shade in hotter climates.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Akebono Cherry is considered relatively easy to care for, especially due to its excellent disease resistant cherry tree qualities. Consistent watering during establishment and proper sunlight will ensure its health.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your seedling will arrive as a healthy, live plant in a 2.5-inch pot. During winter months, it will be dormant and may not have leaves, which is normal and does not affect the plant’s health.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: The best time to plant your Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree is in spring or fall, allowing the roots to establish before extreme temperatures.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This tree is hardy in USDA Zones 5-8. If you are in these zones, it should survive winter well. In colder zones, winter protection for young trees may be necessary.
• Q: What is the typical bloom time for this spring blooming tree? A: The Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree typically blooms in mid-spring, offering a vibrant display of pink to white flowers before its leaves fully emerge.
• Q: What is the scientific name for this Akebono Flowering Cherry Tree? A: The scientific name for this variety is Prunus x yedoensis.