Prunus 'Kiku-shidare-zakura'

Prunus 'Kiku-shidare-zakura' ("Cheal's Weeping Cherry), Swindon, 20th April 2018

Prunus 'Kiku-shidare-zakura', commonly called "Cheal's Weeping Cherry". I cycled past this tree yesterday and found I couldn't forget about it, so today I went back and the lady who lived there kindly let me take some photos. Being such a miniature tree you only ever see it in private gardens, never in parks.

It's very common, but is slow-growing, and not many owners have the patience to produce something like this. All too often "Cheal's" looks like a thin mop-stick with a few unsymmetrical strands of blossom. 

Prunus 'Kiku-shidare-zakura' ("Cheal's Weeping Cherry), Swindon, 20th April 2018

For some reason it's looking particularly good this year. A long cold winter followed by sudden heat has brought all the ornamental cherries out at once, along with the blackthorn and wild cherry. I noticed several other early cherries at their peak, ('Shirotae', 'Hokusai', 'Tae-Haku'), and quite a lot of blossom on late cherries like 'Amanagawa', 'Kanzan' and 'Pink Perfection'. 

Prunus 'Kiku-shidare-zakura' ("Cheal's Weeping Cherry), Swindon, 20th April 2018

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Some photos of the start of flowering:

Buds and first flowers of Prunus 'Kiku-shidare-zakura' ("Cheal's Weeping Cherry). Frome, 12 April 2023.

First flowers of Prunus 'Kiku-shidare-zakura' ("Cheal's Weeping Cherry). Frome, 12 April 2023.

Leaves just opening on one of the weeping branch-tips of Prunus 'Kiku-shidare-zakura' ("Cheal's Weeping Cherry). Frome, 12 April 2023.