Prunus subhirtella var. pendula is a medium-sized tree noted for its showy early spring blooms, rapid growth, and strongly weeping habit to the ground. The upper arching branches of Weeping Higan Cherry become mounding with age.
FEATURES Form -medium-sized ornamental tree -maturing at up to 40' tall x 25' wide (but often smaller), and grafted onto a standard -pendulous oval growth habit in youth, becoming a pendulous mounding growth habit with maturity (like a single- or multitiered umbrella) -medium growth rate for its arching vertical growth, but a rapid growth rate for its many weeping stems Culture -full sun to partial sun -adaptable to poor soils, compacted soils, dry soils, and heat -propagated primarily by rooted stem cuttings, and rarely by seed -several potential disease problems (including trunk cankers) and several potential pest problems (including trunk borers and Japanese beetles), plus potential frost cracks on the trunk in winter -commonly available in container or B&B -remove all suckers and watersprouts that occur below the graft union, as these will be vertical (rather than weeping) in their growth habit and will destroy the character of the tree Foliage -medium to dark green with dull shiny upper surfaces, alternate, ovate to elliptical, singly or doubly serrated, with an acuminate apex -autumn color is a mixture of green, yellowish green, and yellow, and is ornamentally insignificant Flowers -single- or doubleflowering, light-pink pendulous clusters of flowers occur on the weeping branches in late Mar. or early Apr. before the leaves emerge, effective for 1 week. Fruit -fruits are small and glossy