Cherry trees enchant with their beauty! Get to know different varieties and choose the perfect one for your garden
The bloom of the cherry tree is a magical moment—you won’t be able to take your eyes off it. Plant one of these beautiful almond or cherry trees in your garden and enjoy your own hanami celebration during the blooming season.
Cherry trees are small trees or shrubs that enchant with their exquisite blossoms early in spring. Almond trees also delight with their blooms around the same time.
Some varieties of almond and cherry trees produce delicious and decorative cherries in the summer. In autumn, they dazzle with vibrant shades of red, orange, and yellow as their foliage changes.
9 cherry trees
Kuril cherry
The Kuril cherry is one of the hardiest ornamental cherry trees. It blooms in early May with pale pink flowers, and in autumn, it displays bright orange foliage. The small red-black cherries are not edible. Plant your tree in a sunny and sheltered location in fertile, rich soil.
Height: 2–4 meters
Hardiness zone: I–II(III)
Read about the Finnish plant hardiness zones here.
Sargeant’s cherry
A striking small cherry tree suitable for sunny or partially shaded spots. In late May, it is covered with pink blossoms for just under a week. It has glossy reddish-brown bark, dark red berries, and vibrant yellow-red autumn foliage. Plant this cherry tree in nutrient-rich, limed soil.
Height: 5 meters
Hardiness zone: I–III
Dwarf sand cherry
A ground-hugging and fast-spreading cherry tree ideal for dry, sunny locations. Perfect for planting on top of walls or in a rock garden. Features attractive upright, narrow leaves, small white flowers, and vibrant red autumn color. Plant this cherry in limed, moderately fertile soil. This species withstands even scorching sun. Mulch around the base of the shrubs to prevent weeds.
Height: 0.3 meters
Hardiness zone: I–V
Dwarf Russian almond
A low and delicate shrub that blooms with small pink flowers in mid-May. In winter, it benefits from snow cover, under which it has been known to thrive even up to hardiness zone VI. Plant it in a sunny spot with well-draining soil, such as in a rock garden or a stony slope.
Height: 1 meter
Hardiness zone: I–IV
Flowering almond ‘Plena’
A small tree or shrub that is sensitive to frost, blooming with pink double flowers in early June. Plant it in a warm, sheltered, and bright location with rich soil. To improve winter hardiness, it’s advisable to grow the flowering almond as a low shrub so that snow cover protects its delicate shoot tips from freezing.
Height: 1–2 meters
Hardiness zone: Ia
Japanese cherry ‘Kanzan’
A striking but frost-tender eye-catcher for sunny and sheltered locations. Large rose-red double flowers open in May, and the cherry tree’s bloom is exceptionally abundant. Preferably plant it in a raised bed with well-draining, rich soil.
Height: 3–5 meters
Hardiness zone: I–II
Bird cherry
A narrow-crowned and profusely flowering ornamental cherry tree suitable for sun or partial shade. The tree is healthy, fast-growing, and thrives even up to the latitudes of southern Lapland. When in bloom in late May, the cherry tree’s crown resembles a fluffy white cloud. Its autumn foliage is fiery red or red-yellow.
Height: 5–10 meters
Hardiness zone: I–V(VI).
Bush cherry
Bush cherries thrive in sun or partial shade. The berries ripen in August and can be eaten fresh or used, for example, to make jam. The varieties are self-pollinating, but cross-pollination with another tree yields a more abundant harvest. Plant bush cherries in rich, fertile, limed, and well-draining soil.
Height: 1.5–2.5 meters
Varieties:
‘Latvian Matala’. Fairly large, sweet-sour berries. Zones I–V.
‘Kirsa’. Small-sized and early fruiting. Zones I–III(IV).
‘Pohjolan Helmi’. Extremely winter-hardy. Zones I–VI.
‘Chokoladnaja’. Dark brownish-red, sweet berries. Zones I–IV(V).
Sour cherry ‘Huvimajan Kuulasmarja’
A self-pollinating, medium-sized cherry tree. This beautiful and hardy tree produces abundant, fairly large, sweet, and juicy bright red berries in mid-July. Plant it in a sunny and sheltered location with limed, fertile soil.
Height: 3–5 meters
Hardiness zone: I–III(IV)
