Most people love planting cherry blossom trees because of how gorgeous they look from when they are young until they mature into big trees. The trees look most beautiful and showy in the spring when they start blooming and fill your yard with color and the sweet fragrance that the blooms produce. Do cherry blossom trees grow cherries?
For beginner gardeners, it is worth noting that cherry trees and cherry blossom trees are not the same. Even though they look alike and have other common features. They are just the different varieties of the same botanical genus.
One of the most common differences between standard cherry trees and cherry blossom trees is that the latter is more focused on producing beautiful flowers rather than cherries.
One may wonder if a cherry blossom tree produces cherries too. To get more insights on cherry blossom trees, keep reading.
Does cherry blossom grow cherries?
A good number of cherry blossoms grow cherries, though the fruits are not the same as the cherries that will come from standard cherry trees. In most cases, the cherries produced on cherry blossoms are very small and may not be palatable.
If you wish to plant cherry trees that will later give you fruits that you can use as food, you should focus on planting standard cherry. This is basically because cherry blossoms produce tiny fruits that can not be used for anything more significant.
Cherry blossoms aren’t grown to produce fruits. However, they will at times yield small cherries that cannot be used to make sweet pies or any other treats.
You should simply ignore the small cherries produced by different cherry blossoms since you cannot use them as ingredients in food. It is also worth noting that not all cherry blossoms produce cherries – many cherry blossom trees won’t produce even a single cherry fruit.
Primarily, they are to produce just flowers, and that’s all; no cherries will spike up.
How do cherry blossom trees differ from cherry trees
Gardeners love both trees because of how productive they are. Cherry trees will produce a bountiful amount of fruits every year, but it will take some years before they produce the first bundle of fruits. All in all, they will produce very many sweet and juicy fruits in the subsequent years.
On the other hand, cherry blossom trees do well and enlighten their gardener’s gardening spirit as they feel like successful tree gardeners. It is ornamental—it is meant to produce just flowers. When cherry blossoms bloom, the whole tree is filled with flowers of varied beautiful colors that brighten up your yard.
Here are some of the significant differences between a standard cherry tree and a cherry blossom tree
Hardiness zones: Cherry trees grow well in hardiness zones 4 to 7, while cherry blossoms do well in hardiness zones 5 to 8.
Height: Cherry trees can grow to 25 feet, whereas cherry blossom trees grow up to 40 feet tall.
Soil conditions: Any soil structure, texture, and humidity will support the growth of cherry trees, but cherry blossoms only do well in moist loamy soils.
Sun requirements: Cherry trees require full sunlight to produce fruits, while cherry blossoms do well in partial shade. It is not necessary to have full sunlight for it to produce flowers.
Appearance: Even though both trees can appear similar when not keenly observed, they have a slight difference in appearance.
The shape and size of branches are almost similar but slightly vary depending on the variety, with cherry trees having branches as long as 20 feet while cherry blossoms have long branches of about 30 feet.
Flowering: Cherry blossoms are primarily cultivated for flowers, and they have long blooming seasons. Their flowers are long-lasting and will beautify your home over a long season.
On the other side, cherry trees are cultivated for fruits. They, therefore, produce short-term flowers that mature into fruits over a short period.
Ease of growth: Growing these trees is not hard, but the standard cherry tree requires more maintenance practices as it is grown for fruits. Most fruit-bearing trees need much care to protect the fruits from pests and diseases. Cherry blossoms require very minimal maintenance practices.
Do Cherry Blossom Trees Grow Cherries?: Conclusion
If you are a tree gardener and wish to add cherry blossoms to your garden, probably because of the beautiful flowers you have seen or heard about, it is imperative to differentiate them from standard cherry trees.
Importantly, cherry blossoms are cultivated for flowers but can at times produce small cherries.
Related Article: Can Cherry Blossom Trees Grow in Arizona?