Prunus accolade. Flowering Cherry Tree at RHS Wisley Gardens, Surrey, England Stock Photo Alamy

Pyrus Pashia and Prunus x yedoensis Shidare Yoshino. Wild Himalayan pear and a Weeping Yoshino

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK's leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone's life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Tree pruning may seem a daunting task, but some timely and well-considered pruning keeps trees healthy, encourages a well-shaped canopy and helps to control size.

GAP Gardens Prunus 'Kansan' flowering cherry tree, RHS Wisley Surrey Image No 0082561

Standard £7.95. Named Day £14.95. This tree is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring. Position: full sun. Soil: moist, well-drained fertile soil. Rate of growth: slow growing. Flowering period: March to April. Hardiness: fully hardy.

Stunning Blossom and Cherry Trees, Flowering at the RHS Wisley Garden, Surrey, UK. Stock Image

Delivery options. Standard £7.95. Named Day £14.95. This tree is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring. Position: full sun. Soil: tolerates most soils. Rate of growth: average. Flowering period: April. Hardiness: fully hardy.

Cherry trees suitable for small gardens / RHS Gardening

Cherry leaf scorch and leaf spot are diseases of Prunus spp. caused by the pathogenic fungi Apiognomonia erythrostoma and Blumeriella jaapii. The leaves either shrivel, turn brown and remain hanging on the tree throughout winter in the case of leaf scorch, or become yellowed, mottled and drop prematurely in the case of leaf spot.

Prunus 'The Bride' . Cherry Tree in blossom at RHS Wisley gardens, Surrey, UK Stock Photo Alamy

To boost fruiting, feed cherry trees with a high potassium general fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4 or fish, blood and bonemeal, in late winter. Scatter two handfuls per square metre/yard around trees growing in bare soil or two-and-a-half handfuls per square metre/yard around those growing in grass.

Prunus Pandora. Pandora cherry. Japanese Cherry Trees at RHS Wisley Gardens. Woking, Surrey

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Japanese flowering cherry RHS Japanese flowering cherry, Spring flowering trees, Trees to plant

Consider Prunus avium 'Plena', which has double white glorious flowers in mid spring. This is the double-flowered variety of the wild cherry and it is a sight to behold once it wears its white mantle. It's healthy and easy to grow. Give it space, however, as this tree has the potential to grow up to 20m tall.

Prunus &Shirotae& cherry &Shirotae& Trees/RHS Gardening

Prunus Pendula Ascendens Rosea. Cherry tree with blossom at RHS Wisley gardens, Surrey, England

Flowering cherry trees are a highly varied and uniquely beautiful genus of trees, and they are renowned for producing the most delightful display of flowers in spring and summer. The flowers can be single, double, or semi-double and they also range in colour from vivid pink to pure white. The species is so diverse that it contains weeping trees.

Prunus accolade. Flowering Cherry Tree at RHS Wisley Gardens, Surrey, England Stock Photo Alamy

Remove any spindly or badly placed side-shoots, and shorten any that remain to about four buds. Third spring: Shorten new growth on all major shoots by about two-thirds. Remove any spindly, badly placed or damaged shoots. Leave any remaining shoots of 23cm or less unpruned, and shorten remaining longer shoots to about four buds.

Wild cherry trees / RHS Campaign for School Gardening

Medium Trees between 10-20m (25-70ft) at maturity. Betula pubescens (downy birch): 20m, tolerates poor or wet, acid soil. Crataegus monogyna (hawthorn): 10m, good as hedging, attractive berries. Populus tremula AGM (aspen): 20m, tolerant of most soils. Prunus avium AGM (wild cherry): 20m, attractive flowers and fruits.

RHS Wisley Surrey flowering cherry tree Prunus avium Plena Stock Photo 21376599 Alamy

Cherries are attractive and versatile trees, giving delightful spring colour when they are in full blossom. Colin Crosbie, former Curator of RHS Garden Wisley, recommends some that are suitable for smaller gardens. With delightful spring flowers and beautiful forms, many ornamental cherries make ideal small garden trees.

Prunus Matsumae Hayazaki. Japanese Cherry Tree. RHS Wisley Gardens. England Stock Photo Alamy

Bacterial canker. Bacterial canker is a disease of the stems and leaves of Prunus, especially plums and cherries, but also apricots, peaches and ornamental Prunus species. It causes sunken patches of dead bark and small holes in leaves, called 'shothole'. Bacterial canker.

Prunus cerasifera 'Nigra' black cherry plum/RHS Gardening

Cherry pruning. 1.27. See how you can make sure your cherry trees get the best start in your garden and see pruning techniques to assure lots of fruit. Watch a video on handy tips when choosing a cherry tree for your garden and what you need to do to look after it well.

Ornamental cherry tree in full blossom at RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey Ornamental cherry, Rhs, Surrey

Prunus 'Pandora' is a compact cherry with a 'vase-like' shape, making it a good tree for the smaller garden. It has pale pink blossom in spring and orange foliage in autumn, and has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Height x Spread: 10m x 8m. Shape: Vase. Buy Prunus 'Pandora' from Crocus.

Prunus accolade. Flowering Cherry Tree at RHS Wisley Gardens, Surrey, England Stock Photo Alamy

Foliage. Deciduous. Habit. Columnar upright. Genus. Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark. Name status.