Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis Brillant - Kuril Cherry

Prunus nipponica var. kurilensis Brilliant, is a small flowering cherry tree from Japan with an upright habit and dense vegetation that can be planted to admire its fabulous flowering from the window, which signals the end of winter, but also for its brilliant autumn foliage. Its countless small single flowers, ranging from very pale pink to deep pink at the centre, bloom before the appearance of the foliage and produce small edible ornamental cherries. A beautiful slow-growing and modest-sized flowering shrub, it has a place in all gardens, even the smallest ones. Give it a sunny exposure and ordinary soil that is not too chalky or too dry.

Prunus kurilensis (synonyms Cerasus kurilensis, Prunus nipponica f. kurilensis), from the large family of Rosaceae, is a very hardy species (down to -25 °C (-13 °F)) endemic to the Kuril Islands, located in the far north of Japan, as well as the island of Sakhalin.

The 'Brilliant' cultivar, with a slow but regular growth, has a bushy, dense, and upright habit, supported by thick, sturdy, and erect branches. Its crown widens over time. At maturity, around the age of 20, it will not exceed 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in height, reaching about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in spread at the top of the crown. In February or March depending on the region, often before the appearance of the foliage, numerous pale pink flower buds appear on the previous year's branches, which open into small flowers with five white-pink petals, a bright pink centre, and yellow stamens. Slightly fragrant and nectar-rich, they are visited by bees. The corolla is enclosed in a darker pink calyx, giving the overall flowering a very pale pink colour. The flowers give way to small fruits called drupes, highly sought after by birds. The deciduous foliage is composed of entire, alternate, lanceolate leaves, 4 to 7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) long, finely toothed along the edges. They are shiny and tinted bronze-copper in spring, medium green in summer, and then turn orange and red in autumn.

Slow-growing, of modest stature, and requiring very little maintenance, this small tree, easy to keep short through pruning, is perfectly suited to small gardens, where it will be particularly highlighted as a standalone specimen or in the centre of a perennial bed whose flowering will take over from spring to summer. It can also be planted in a border or as a free hedge. The perfectly hardy Prunus 'Brilliant' can be grown in many regions but dislikes compact, chalky and/or very clayey soils or, on the contrary, excessively dry situations. For example, it can be associated with other spring-flowering shrubs, either simultaneous or staggered, such as forsythias, Japanese quinces, Honeysuckle (Lonicera xylosteum), ornamental apple trees , flowering peaches, double-flowered almond trees, or hawthorns, etc.