Prunus cerasifera - Cherry Plum

The Prunus cerasifera, also known as the cherry plum or myrobalan plum tree, is a small fruit-bearing and ornamental tree. Indeed, it is one of the first trees to bloom in the year, with countless small, simple cup-shaped flowers, pure white with a pink heart, beautifully adorning its naked wood in March. The deciduous leaves are a shiny, matte green on the underside, and appear well after the flowering. Its small, red, aromatic but tart cherries resemble plums and can also be cooked and consumed as jam. Its spherical, slightly informal habit is perfectly suited for free hedges or as a backdrop in flower beds in country gardens. This hardy and perfectly resilient Prunus thrives in most climates, in neutral to limestone, rich, deep, well-drained, and moist soil, and prefers a sunny location.

The Prunus cerasifera is native to Asia Minor and the Caucasus but has naturalized in gardens and parks all over Europe. All these small trees belong to the large rose family. It is a deciduous tree with moderate growth and fairly rapid development, reaching an average of 8 m (26 ft 2 in) in all directions. It develops one or several covered trunks and a wide, open, and spreading crown. Flowering occurs in March, earlier or later depending on the climate. The simple flowers, suspended by a short peduncle, are white with a pink center. They bloom into corollas with 5 petals, measuring 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter. The fragrant and nectar-rich flowers are followed by the formation of small round black fruits that birds seek. The deciduous foliage consists of alternate, broadly ovate, elliptical leaves, measuring 2 to 7 cm (0.8 to 2.8 in) in length, with toothed margins. The leaf blade, of a shiny medium green colour and matte green on the underside, has small hairs under the veins. It is a vigorous and robust tree that is often used as a rootstock for many varieties of plum or cherry trees. This wild species has given rise to a multitude of ornamental cultivars with purple foliage and/or more or less pink flowers.

Its graceful and ample form, characterized by flexible branches, makes this flowering cherry tree suitable for solitary cultivation. Dazzling from the first beautiful days of spring and requiring very little maintenance, this small tree is suitable for medium-sized or large gardens where it will be particularly highlighted at the center of a perennial flower bed, with the blooms taking over from spring to summer. Perfectly hardy, it can be grown in many climates, but dislikes compact and clayey soils or arid conditions. For example, in a large free hedge or flower bed, it can be associated with other flowering cherry trees, ornamental apple trees, flowering peach trees, Chinese almond trees, hawthorns, Japanese apricot trees (Prunus mume). A carpet of blue hyacinths, liverworts, or muscari would be a beautiful addition at the base of this plant.