This tree is gone now, taken down by the snowstorm in October 2011.
Planted in fall 2006.
This is 'Okame', a 5 gal. plant from Forestfarm, that I planted right next to the front light post. It is a smaller cultivar, with very light pink flowers, and the earliest of all the cherries to bloom. It's a zone 6 plant but has wintered ok here. Orange red fall color.
The sapling I got is lopsided, with branches missing on one side of the trunk. I'll have to figure out how it should be pruned as it gets bigger. It can get 25 feet wide, “bushy headed” so prune to keep it a little narrower next to the post light.
 |
| March 27, 2010, starting to bloom! |
 |
| April 3, 2010 You can see the lopsided branches (that lower branch may need to come off eventually?) |
 |
| November 15, 2010, great orange color. |
 |
| April 23, 2011 |
Here's a great profile of the 'Okame' cherry from Melissa Clark's blog Garden Shoots.
In May 2011 I finally pruned off the wayward branch and now it is decidedly more upright and better shaped, although the effect is a "limbed up" skinny look.
 |
| May 30, 2011 |
Propagation:
Softwood cuttings in Spring, plant in Fall. Or semi-ripewood cuttings in summer, overwinter in coldframe.
