Weeping Cherry Tree Types: Pictures, When To Plant, Grow Tips (Dwarf, Pink)

Many visitors to Washington, DC, are in awe of the single-flowered white blossoms from the Yoshino Cherry Tree that aligns the Tidal Basin trail. Some visitors often wonder if they, too, can create the same beauty at home.

The Yoshino and Kwanzan Cherry Trees are the primary type of tree in the Rosaceae family that make up the West Potomac Park, according to National Park Services.²

Before we get into the best-growing conditions for Weeping Cherry Tree, here are some Weeping Cherry Tree facts:

Weeping Cherry Tree Leaves

Depending on who you ask, the fall leaves are as breathtaking as the spring blossom.

The spring leaves are glossy dark green. The fall and winter leaves are yellow or orange.

Weeping Cherry Tree Flower

The weepy and showy clusters of pink or white flowers show up from mid-March to the beginning of April of each year.

It is dependent on the weather conditions.

Weeping Cherry Tree Seeds

The Weeping Cherry Tree seeds can be planted but require more time for germination. Germination can take up to a year, depending on the type of Weeping Cherry Tree.

Unlike the Cherry Tree that grows juicy sweet cherries, Weeping Cherry Tree seeds are not edible for adoring humans. However, birds, squirrels, and other animals enjoy sour dark brown seeds.

How To Identify Weeping Cherry Tree

The drooping or weepy Cherry Tree is unique. The umbrella-shaped tree can also be identified as a small weeping tree, whether it’s a Dwarf Weeping Cherry Tree that is six feet tall or 25 feet tall.

The size and the canopy crown of the smaller or standard cherry blossom are very identifiable. The pink or white flowers further let the onlooker know what kind of beauty must be a Weeping Cherry Tree.

The glossy green ovate or oblong leaves with the tip on the top also add to the distinct identity of the type of Weeping Cherry Tree it is.

You may wonder, How much carbon does a tree capture? How much CO₂ does a tree absorb?

It is determined by how dense the tree wood is, which varies from tree to tree. But it is estimated a tree absorbs approximately 25 kg of carbon dioxide each year.

Not only can planting a tree from the Rosaceae family absorb a significant amount of carbon emissions, but planting Weeping Cherry Trees helps the environment improve air quality.

Types of Weeping Cherry Trees

According to Wikipedia, in the United States and Europe, a Cherry Blossom Tree or Weeping Cherry Tree in the Prunus species has approximately 400 kinds of ornamental trees.³

Below are a few types of trees in the Weeping Cherry Tree family.

Although a Weeping Willow Tree is in the Salix genus, a Cherry Weeping Willow may not necessarily be in the same genus family as the Weeping Willow, both trees are often aligned by water.

This ornamental tree is considered mature at six inches. Dwarf Weeping Cherry Tree can grow up to two inches yearly.

One of the smallest Dwarf Weeping Cherry Tree is the Prunus jacquemontii species. According to North Carolina State University, the Prunus jacquemontii is mature at three to four inches tall.⁴

If your goal is to have a well-groomed landscape that is environmentally friendly, this Weeping Cherry Tree may be perfect for your small yard.

This fast-growing tree can help bring clean air quality and help limit your carbon emissions while standing with great beauty despite its size.

The significant environmental impact of a rapidly growing Dwarf Weeping Tree is very beneficial to you and your neighbors.

The Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry Tree is also known as “White Fountain” and “Snofozam.”

Because of its waterfall shape, it’s true that not only does it stand pretty in your backyard, it can be used as a decorative tree for holidays and various celebrations.

The following types of Weeping Cherry Trees or Japanese Weeping Cherry Tree are often planted in gardens and parks throughout the United States.

Some of the most favorite Japanese Weeping Cherry Tree that are admired in the United States are as follows:

• Yoshino Cherry Tree
• Kwanzan Cherry Tree
• Sargent Cherry Tree

The Weeping Yoshino Cherry Tree is also called “Somei Yoshino.” The most popular Japanese Weeping Cherry Tree.

In fact, 2,000 Cherry Blossoms were gifted by the Mayor of Japan, Mr. Yukio Ozaki, in 1912 to Washington, DC, as reported by the National Park Services.⁵

The Kwanzan Cherry Tree blooms are often compared to the design of a pink carnation because of its large clusters of flowers. These pink flowers are considered double-bloomed, with several flower clusters sharing each branch.

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, the Sargent Cherry Tree was named after Charles S. Sargent.⁶ Mr. Sargent noticed this round Cherry Blossom Tree in the Northern Japan mountains in 1892.

What makes the Sargent Cherry Tree unique is its flowers are white and pink. This tree is considered an ornamental tree and a flowering tree, which is why it produces both white and pink flowers.

Double Pink Weeping Cherry Tree vs Single-Flower Cherry Blossoms

Pink Cherry, Cherry Blossom, Weeping Cherry Tree, the many names for these types of trees can get a little confusing.

For many who look to the Rosaceae family to compliment their butterfly garden or personal home garden oasis, it’s all about the single, semi-double, and double blooming of the budding beautiful flowers.

Double Pink Weeping Cherry Trees vs Single-Flower Cherry Blossoms are recognized by the cluster of their blooming petal as described below:

• Single Flowers have 5 petals.
• Semi-Double Flowers have up to 20 petals of flowers.
• Double Pink Weeping Cherry Tree can have up to 50 petals.

Although there are many pink flowers trees and plants to choose from, knowing what makes the Weeping Cherry Tree fuller than others will help you design your landscaping as desired.

Weeping Cherry Tree Growing Zone

Growing zones for Weeping Cherry Tree (where to grow these lovely tree) types are in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8.

From Ault Park in Cincinnati, Washington D.C., to Macon, Georgia, the Weeping Cherry Tree can be found throughout the United States.⁶

(Image: ruma views¹³)

Avoiding extreme weather, such as humidity and frost, is ideal for any Weeping Cherry Tree or Cherry Blossom Tree.

A Weeping Cherry Tree growing zone must have the perfect soil and weather to thrive. The weather must provide adequate sun.

Weeping Cherry Tree types you may want to plant must have full sun. A shaded area is not ideal for a Weeping Cherry Tree.

These pink trees or pink and white ornamental trees need very suitable soil that has excellent drainage. Some of the best soil is loamy or clay soil.

The Weeping Cherry Tree can adapt to most soil as long as it has moisture to grow.

The Weeping Cherry Tree types that can be planted in the growing zones of 5-8 include the majority of the United States, excluding most southern regions. However, Macon, Georgia, shows off their Yoshino Weeping Cherry Trees each spring with pride.

Macon, Georgia, is not the most southern region and has proven to grow healthy Weeping Cherry Trees each season. However, ornamental trees cannot survive high humidity and would not thrive in humid southern areas.

There is an ongoing debate about whether parts of California, Texas, and South Florida should have ornamental trees in their region.

Although some tree lovers plant them anyway, the life span is often cut short because of humidity and extreme weather, such as hurricanes and very hot summers.

When To Plant a Weeping Cherry Tree

Typically you can plant a Weeping Cherry Tree all year long. The key is to avoid your location’s frost season if you have one.

Many green thumb gardeners suggest planting a Weeping Cherry Tree in early spring.

How Fast Does a Weeping Cherry Tree Grow?

When the right planting conditions are met, a Weeping Cherry Tree grows 1 to 2 feet per year.

The Weeping Cherry Tree is considered a fast growing tree that can be admired quicker than the usual larger tree.

Planting Tips for Weeping Cherry Tree

As you decide which small weeping tree to plant or if you have enough room for a Weeping Yoshino Cherry Tree, here are a few planting tips for Weeping Cherry Tree gardens:

• Choose the best sunny location for your Weeping Cherry Tree
• Pick a Weeping Cherry Tree that is suitable for your growing zone
• The soil needs to be a pH of 6 to 7.
• The rootball must be planted three times deeper than its width.
• Choose a mulch, such as bark chips, to place around your Cherry Blossom

Each ornamental tree requires full sun to grow efficiently. The Prunus pendula or Pendula Rosea species requires moist soil and balanced weather.

No extreme heat or severe frosty seasons. But it can take some heat, ice, and snow in certain regions.

Although some may argue that USDA growing Zone 4 and 9 can grow a healthy Weeping Cherry Tree, the Best growing conditions for Weeping Cherry Trees are located in the growing Zone 5-8.

(Image: Arlington National Cemetery¹⁵)

Your soil is the foundation of a healthy tree or plant. A Weeping Cherry Tree needs a pH of 6 to 7.

According to Home Depot, not only can you test your soil with a simple do-it-yourself test kit, a pH of 7 is considered neutral for acidic and alkaline soil.⁷

Be sure to test your soil, then plant your Weeping Cherry Tree rootball deep enough to cover the rootball. The Weeping Cherry Tree should be planted two to three times wider than the rootball.

Moisture is important for a healthy ornamental tree in the Prunus pendula or Pendula Rosea species. After the planting, it’s suggested to place mulch around your Weeping Cherry Tree to ensure the tree retains moisture.

3 Grow Tips (Dwarf, Pink) and Propagation

The beauty of the Dwarf Weeping Cherry Tree and Double Pink Weeping Cherry is grown relatively the same way.

Growing Weeping Cherry Tree from a seed is not as simple as placing a seed into the ground, watering it, and watching it grow. Dwarf Weeping Cherry Trees and Double Pink Weeping Cherry Trees are usually made by grafting.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica,⁸ the process of propagation with grafting includes two or several parts of plants, tree stems, buds, or scions. Grating is a combination of the bud or scion interlocked with the root and middle piece, called the interlock.

Typically nurseries will be sure to graft a dwarf weeping tree with a young branch and dwarf rootstock. This will ensure the proper height growth, and with the hopes the rootstock is disease resistant.

For other Cherry Blossom Trees, the grafting may include an ornamental top and a straight rootstock.

Some garden enthusiasts may prefer the propagation process of growing a Weeping Cherry Tree from a cutting. Like grafting, some fruit trees, like Cherry Trees or Plum Trees, can be grown with the help of the cutting process, including Weeping Cherry Tree.

If you are a pro-gardener, who can cut a branch that is 6-8 inches long, put it in a container of water, and place it where your future Weeping Cherry Tree will grow roots with plenty of sunlight, go for it! Then re-pot your growing Weeping Cherry Tree.

It’s worth noting that growing a Weeping Cherry Tree from a seedling is quite a long propagation period. You must first do the following:

• Soften the hard seed outer shell, also called sacrificing the seed
• Soak the Weeping Cherry Tree seed overnight for 24 hours
• Cold treatment or stratification is required from 10 days to a year

The germination process before getting your Weeping Cherry Tree into the ground is not a quick turnaround to plant into the ground. Some may include peat moss in the cold treatment process to prepare the seeds for planting.

Depending on the Weeping Cherry Tree types, germination time frames and whether to include peat moss in the cold treatment process may vary.

But there are 3 grow tips that should be considered below after you place your Weeping Cherry Tree rootball into the ground:

1. Plant your Weeping Cherry Tree a minimum of 10 feet away from your home
2. Stake the first year of your Weeping Cherry Tree to ensure the trunk is straight
3. Water your young Weeping Cherry Tree up to two days a week

Contacting your trusted nursery or fellow expert gardener to get a better understanding of what will work for your new ornamental tree is recommended.

Weeping Cherry Tree Disease Prevention

No one wants to witness a stunning Dwarf Weeping Cherry Tree or Cherry Blossom appear wilted. A fungal disease often called root rot is often caused by overwatering.

(Image: U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released ¹⁶)

Weeping Cherry Tree types require well-drained soil to thrive in any garden. This delicate ornamental tree is susceptible to the following fungal diseases:

• Powdery Mildew: A white surgery powder that appears on the leaves
• Verticillium Wilt: A fungus in the soil that causes discoloration of the leaves
• Cankers (Sunken Patch): Sap is leaking from the bark, also called Gummosis
• Black Knot: Swollen Galles on the bark and leaves

The above are just a few diseases that the Weeping Cherry Tree can get from soggy soil and very wet winters. However, pests tend to invade your favorite cherry blossom if the soil is too dry.

Common Pests of the Weeping Cherry Tree:

• Aphids: Cause distortion of the leaves, and a sticky honeydew is left behind
• Japanese Beetles: Leaves fall due to the beetle feasting on the leaf’s veins
• Spider Mites: Feeds on leaf sap and small webs appear on the infected leaves
• Peach Tree Borer: A small moth feeds on the sap in the bark, causing sawdust

The healthier your ornamental tree, whether a Cherry Weeping Willow or Pink Weeping Cherry Tree, the less likely you will have to deal with disease or an infestation of pests.

How To Stop Weeping Cherry Tree Disease

Before you plant your Weeping Cherry Tree, definitely get familiar with your local weather condition for each season.

According to the University of Maryland Extension, these diseases are due to drought, low sunlight, compacted soil, and possible root damage.⁹

How to stop Weeping Cherry Tree disease begins with evaluating your ornamental tree from top to bottom. Preferably examine your tree 6-8 inches above the soil and also below the soil line weekly.

If you see any yellowish leaves, exposed sap, or any early signs that your Weeping Cherry Tree is being infected by fungus, start pruning. Getting rid of diseased branches and removing any fallen leaves or fruit is necessary for a healthy ornamental tree.

Disease prevention is key. Pruning and removing weeds with a do-it-yourself or organic weed killer recipe from the vicinity of your Weeping Cherry Tree will help prevent fungus and bacteria from developing.

Pruning also ensures quality air circulation and allows plenty of sunlight from the crown of the tree to the soil.

Using your gardening hose to wash the leaves and underside leaves is necessary for disease prevention. Also, spraying your tree with neem oil can do wonders in preventing fungal diseases.

Natural pest control for Weeping Cherry Trees beside the neem oil is as follows:

• Pruning and picking off dead or damaged leaves
• Use a soapy water bottle to spray leaves directly to remove pests
• Welcome ladybugs and lacewing larvae to prey on various pests
• Using mulch in your soil along with proper watering helps prevent pest takeovers

Weeping Cherry Trees have much to offer birds, butterflies, and other wildlife in their ecosystem. The beauty is a great benefit to add to your landscaping.

With your help, nature will also benefit from a disease-free healthy ornamental tree.

Weeping Cherry Tree Care

A Weeping Cherry Tree care plan can help you maintain your new ornamental tree with ease. Young Weeping Cherry Trees need more water.

Checking your soil to ensure your tree has more than enough moisture works.

Watering a young Weeping Cherry Tree every 7 to 10 days is recommended. Watering in the morning will help your tree stay moist and hydrated for several days.

Water needs for a Weeping Cherry Tree vary from year to year.

(Image: U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released ¹⁴)

Watering needs for Weeping Cherry Tree plants in the first year require more water than mature trees. Depending on your location, most Weeping Cherry Trees, after a year old, need less water to maintain their health.

During spring and summer months, water your ornamental tree but be sure to allow the soil to drain any excess water. For the winter months, your Weeping Cherry Tree does not require watering, and its roots get a well-needed winter break.

Some use nitrogen fertilizer or organic compost to fertilize a young Weeping Cherry Tree the following spring. Depending on the location of your Weeping Cherry Tree garden, fertilizing your tree annually helps prevent disease and pests and maintains good health.

Just like fertilizer, add mulch annually six inches away from the trunk of your Cherry Blossom. It is recommended to apply a 3-inch layer of mulch of your choice.

During those dormant winter months, get rid of any old blossoms and faded flowers. If your location is prone to frostier winters than usual, use a frost blanket to protect the moisture of your tree.

How To Trim a Weeping Cherry Tree

Pruning and trimming your Cherry Blossom or Dwarf Weeping Cherry Tree will maintain its waterfall physique. However, how to trim a Weeping Cherry Tree for a grafted and ungrafted tree is different.

If you have a grafted Cherry Blossom, you must do the following:

• Remove suckers at the trunk of the tree
• Trim or prune any branches in the open center
• Remove any rubbing branches
• Make sure the branches are six inches from the ground
• At the crown, remove any branches sticking straight up

If you have an ungrafted Cherry Blossom, you must do the following:

• Do not remove any branches sticking straight up at the crown
• Remove any rubbing branches
• Make sure the branches are six inches from the ground

The big difference is keeping your ornamental tree physique in shape by not removing the branches sticking straight up on the crown of a natural Weeping Cherry Tree. These branches will, in due time, weep.

Grafting trees do not naturally weep from the top.

It’s recommended to avoid trimming your tree in the summer. Trimming and pruning should be done more often for trees younger than a year.

However, trees over a year old should be trimmed and pruned in the fall when dormant.

Make sure before pruning and trimming your Weeping Cherry Tree to ensure your tools are disinfected to avoid any infections from the saws and other tools utilized.

If you cannot picture yourself pruning and trimming your Weeping Cherry Tree, you can call a tree trimming service provider of your choice.

A tree trimming cost calculator will give you an estimate of the costs of having your Weeping Cherry Tree pruned and trimmed by a professional annually.

Which Pollinators Does the Weeping Cherry Tree Attract?

The Weeping Cherry Tree requires the help of cross-pollination. Honeybees ensure the Weeping Cherry Tree gets its fair share of pollination along with other ornamental trees.

Blue jays and other types of birds help share the cherry pollen with honey bees.

What’s the Best Technique To Prune a Weeping Cherry Tree?

To ensure your Weeping Cherry Tree doesn’t get a wound from pruning, it’s recommended to use the three-cut technique. The first cut is about a foot from the trunk and down the bottom side of the branch.

The second cut is approximately ⅔ from the trunk and towards the top of the branch. Last, saw the branch at the base in the curve area for a clean cut.

How Much Carbon Does Weeping Cherry Tree Sequester?

The stronger the wood and bark of the tree, the greater the carbon dioxide can be devoured. Science has proven that Global Warming has caused an increase in intolerable weather from hotter summers and extreme storms.

(Image: U.S. Army photo by Rachel Larue/released¹⁷)

How much carbon does a tree capture depends on the Weeping Cherry Tree? However, Newsweek reports that the South Korean Forest Research Institute discovered that one Cherry Blossom could absorb approximately 20 pounds of carbon emissions.¹⁰

20 pounds of carbon emissions sequestered in a Weeping Cherry Tree’s bark, roots, leaves, branches, and soil is less than in larger trees. However, the process of the Weeping Cherry Tree taking in greenhouse gasses is called photosynthesis.

Designing your backyard or landscaping walkways with this ornamental tree will assist in combating air pollution from your family’s carbon emissions and your neighbors.

Knowing how to identify and care for a Weeping Cherry tree can transform your yard into an elegant and beautiful setting.

Frequently Asked Questions About Weeping Cherry Tree