Prunus hillieri Spire - Cherry

The Prunus (x) hillieri 'Spire' is a variety of flowering cherry tree notable for its slender and spreading habit and its beautiful crown, as well as for the colour of its autumn foliage. In spring, it is adorned with a profusion of pale pink flowers, followed by bronze young leaves and finally a red-violet foliage, a true fireworks display at the end of the season. It is a small, hardy tree with remarkable colour, which will make a superb specimen in a medium-sized, isolated garden. It is easily grown in the sun, in a well-drained, preferably limestone soil.

The 'Spire' Prunus is a cross between the Prunus incisa, which is native to the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan, and the P. sargentii, which is native to Japan, Korea, and the Kuril Islands. This variety was obtained around 1935 at Hillier Nurseries in England. All these small trees belong to the large Rosaceae family.

The 'Spire' prunus is relatively slow-growing and typically reaches a height of 7m (23 ft) with a width of 3.5m. This small tree has a straight trunk, covered with brown bark, and an initially narrow and columnar crown that gradually spreads out in a pronounced and harmonious way over the years, like a sheaf. Flowering usually occurs in April, earlier or later depending on the region. The flowers, produced profusely, bloom before the leaves, suspended by short peduncles on well-branched twigs. They emerge from dark pink buds grouped in pairs to fours, then open into single cups measuring 2 to 4cm (0.8 to 1.6 in) in diameter, pale pink becoming almost white. This nectar-rich flowering attracts bees. The deciduous foliage appears just after flowering and falls in autumn. It consists of alternate, ovate-shaped leaves with pointed tips, doubly toothed along the edges. The leaves transition from bronze to light green in summer before taking on flamboyant and vibrant tones in autumn. This sterile variety does not produce fruit.

This small tree embodies all the charm of Japan, and each season reinvents the colour palette in the garden. It is best placed in isolation, it deserves it. Not demanding, this flowering cherry tree thrives in a well-prepared ordinary soil and tolerates and even appreciates the presence of limestone, which is not so common among richly coloured autumn shrubs. It can be grown in most regions. It can be surrounded, at a measured distance, by other spring-flowering shrubs, simultaneously or staggered, such as Japanese apricots 'Prunus mume', ornamental apple trees, Japanese quinces, flowering peaches, Chinese almond trees, hawthorns... It naturally belongs in a Japanese garden, in a sunny location.