Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis'

Common name: Autumn Cherry 'Autumnalis' / Winter-flowering Cherry

Description: Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis' is the original and most widely grown of the winter-flowering cherries, a truly indispensable tree for the British garden that has been earning its place in parks, gardens, and landscapes for well over a century. From late autumn through winter and into early spring, the gracefully arching, spreading branches produce repeated flushes of small, semi-double, white to palest blush flowers that open reliably during mild spells throughout the coldest months, creating a delicate and deeply welcome display that no other hardy tree can rival for sheer duration of flowering. The blossom is at its most ethereal on bright winter days, when the translucent white flowers catch the low winter sunshine and seem almost to illuminate the bare branches from within, and on still days a gentle, sweet fragrance can occasionally be detected at close quarters. Unlike its sister cultivar 'Autumnalis Rosea', the flowers of 'Autumnalis' are a cooler, purer white with only the faintest hint of blush in bud, giving the tree a particularly clean and classic character well suited to both traditional and contemporary garden settings. Fresh green foliage follows in spring, providing pleasant, undemanding summer presence before turning warm shades of amber and yellow in autumn, just as the first winter buds begin to form once more, completing a quietly satisfying annual cycle that makes this one of the most reliably rewarding of all ornamental trees for the British climate. 'Autumnalis' develops into an elegant, vase-shaped, spreading tree that is well suited to gardens of a wide range of sizes and styles.

Other benefits: exceptionally long flowering season from late autumn through to early spring; classic white winter blossom of unrivalled duration; occasional delicate fragrance; warm amber autumn foliage tints; elegant vase-shaped spreading habit; long-established and thoroughly reliable in UK gardens

Wildlife attraction: early bumblebees, honeybees, and other pollinators foraging during mild winter spells

Height & spread (approx.) at 10 years: 5m x 4m

Position: full sun to partial shade; most rewarding when sited where the blossom can be viewed and appreciated from indoors or from a frequently used path or seating area during the winter months; reasonably tolerant of exposed positions

Soil pH: adaptable; performs well in neutral to slightly alkaline soils; pH 6.0–7.5

Moisture: moderate watering when establishing; tolerates periods of drought once established; prefers fertile, well-drained soil; avoid waterlogging

Winter hardiness: fully hardy to approximately -20°C; blossom may be damaged by the hardest frosts but the tree itself is completely reliable throughout the UK