Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

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Case
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Location: Fairhope, Al

Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

Post by Case »

I have been wanting to get one of these for awhile, sorry for the lack of proper terminology. I know there are a few different colors and that is about it. Does anyone have any experience with them or and any information they care to share?

I recently spoke with a local nursery and they said that the don't do well here because it doesn't get cold enough and they usually die off after a couple of years. Another nursery said they do well, not sure who to believe. I am in South Alabama, zone 8b...ish. From what I have read they are rated to zone 9.

Any insight would be greatly apprecieted. Thanks!
Michael
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Location: North Walton County, FL Zone 8a

Re: Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

Post by Michael »

First thing to consider: Have you seen any nice looking ones in the neighborhood?

Cherry trees are not for zone 8b as a rule, but I did see an article on some in the Los Angles area.

http://laparks.blogspot.com/2006/04/big ... -lake.html

Michael
Case
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Re: Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

Post by Case »

Thanks. Thinking about it I haven't seen any around, but haven't really been looking either.

Looks like I need to take a ride and do some researching.
Alan_L
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Location: St. Louis area

Re: Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

Post by Alan_L »

If local nurseries carry them, that *might* be an indication that they'll be ok in your area, but it's not definite. If you're in a marginal area for a plant and a nursery stocks it, you should probably talk to them about special conditions the plant may need to survive in your area. You should probably ask them if it's a plant they stock every year too, or if it's something new for them.
Case
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Re: Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

Post by Case »

Well I talked to a trusted nursery and they said they only carry the Taiwan Cherry Tree (Prunus campanulata) which is a bit more heat tolarant and does fairly well he said. He went on to say it just doesn't get cold enough here for the japanese cherry blossom trees, and they will start to die off after a few years.

I need to take another trip to Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile and check out the Japanese style garden to see what they have growing there. I have been there once but didn't pay to much attention because I hadn't been into planting and gardening yet.

Here is the Taiwan Cherry Tree.

Image
GrowingHabit
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Re: Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

Post by GrowingHabit »

In my zone 8 (not b), Yoshino and Kwanzan cherry trees do spectacularly well. Weeping cherries look good from the car, around town, but the two planted in my in-laws' garden are the ones I can get close to, and the story is a little different. They were planted 22 years ago, and the grafted crowns are magnificent, better and better each year. But the stock cherry that comprises the trunk is clearly suffering. The trunks are half eroded and hollowed out by disease of some variety that no remedy they've tried seems to combat. Whenever the crowns also start declining, they'll yank the trees out. But for now, the weeping hides the defects.

Now, that Taiwan cherry is something I have to add to my garden! Never seen that one before.
Case
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Re: Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

Post by Case »

Thanks for the info. Another question, can you get a non-grafted Yoshino or Kwanzan or are they all grafts now? I don't know why but I have never really like the idea of grafted trees. We had a satsuma that was grafted and it did good for awhile and then quickly went down hill like it had been taken over by and evil form of itself.
Michael
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Location: North Walton County, FL Zone 8a

Re: Japanese Weeping Cherry Trees.

Post by Michael »

to Growinghabit: Your zone 8 is a lot different that our zone 8 - zones indicate the lowest temps that will be seen during normal years. The "chilling" hours you get are a lot more than the chilling hours we get here in the Gulf Coast area zone 8. I am very familiar with the zone 8 in your part of the world because i had a significant other that live on Vancouver Island for most of our 10 year long distant relationship. (We are now married and she is here now. Well actually we are in Houston at present.....work.)

to Case: They had (and I think still do) a very nice grove of moso at Bellingraft Gardens. Update us on it if you go there.
Trees are grafted because there are strong root stocks that are available that are much more hardy in the earth then a lot of the "good" tree roots. In most cases it is using the best of two worlds. However, they do have their draw backs as you mentioned.

Michael
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