Planting Yoshino Cherry & Knockout Roses - May 2011

This year's addition: 2nd Yoshino Cherry (the first one planted in 2010 died due to too much rain along with crab apple trees) and knockout roses along the fence. This second Yoshino is rooting well so far. It is supposed to be a fast growing tree, so hoping this one survives and grows well . Hoping some cherry flowers next spring. Knockout roses grows throughout a year and bloom until the first frost.

Yoshino:

Prunus × yedoensis (Yoshino cherry; Japanese: 染井吉野 somei-yoshino) is a hybrid cherry of unknown origin, probably between Prunus speciosa as father plant andPrunus pendula f. ascendens as mother.^[1] It occurs as a natural hybrid in Japan and is now one of the most popular and widely-planted cultivated flowering cherries (sakura) in temperate climates worldwide.^[2][3]
It is a small, deciduous tree that at maturity grows to be 5 to 12 metres (16–39 ft) (rarely 15 metres (49 ft) ) tall. It grows well in hardiness zones 5-8 and does well in full sun and moist but well drained soil. The leaves are alternately arranged, 6 to 15 centimetres (2.4–5.9 in) long and 4 to 7 centimetres (1.6–2.8 in) broad, with a serrated margin; they are often bronze-toned when newly emerged, becoming dark green by summer. The flowers emerge before the leaves in early spring; they are fragrant, 3 to 3.5 centimetres (1.2–1.4 in) in diameter, with five white or pale pink petals. The flowers grow in clusters of five or six together. The fruit, a small cherry, is a globose drupe 8 to 10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) in diameter; they are an important source of food for many small birds and mammals, including robins and thrushes. The fruit contain little flesh and much concentrated red juice, which can stain clothing and brick. The fruit is only marginally sweet to the human palate.^[2][3] somei-yoshino) is a hybrid cherry of unknown origin, probably between Prunus speciosa as father plant andPrunus pendula f. ascendens as mother.^[1] It occurs as a natural hybrid in Japan and is now one of the most popular and widely-planted cultivated flowering cherries (sakura) in temperate climates worldwide.^[2][3]

It is a small, deciduous tree that at maturity grows to be 5 to 12 metres (16–39 ft) (rarely 15 metres (49 ft) ) tall. It grows well in hardiness zones 5-8 and does well in full sun and moist but well drained soil. The leaves are alternately arranged, 6 to 15 centimetres (2.4–5.9 in) long and 4 to 7 centimetres (1.6–2.8 in) broad, with a serrated margin; they are often bronze-toned when newly emerged, becoming dark green by summer. The flowers emerge before the leaves in early spring; they are fragrant, 3 to 3.5 centimetres (1.2–1.4 in) in diameter, with five white or pale pink petals. The flowers grow in clusters of five or six together. The fruit, a small cherry, is a globose drupe 8 to 10 millimetres (0.31–0.39 in) in diameter; they are an important source of food for many small birds and mammals, including robins and thrushes. The fruit contain little flesh and much concentrated red juice, which can stain clothing and brick. The fruit is only marginally sweet to the human palate.^{[2][3] (Wikipedia)}

^{ソメイヨシノ（染井吉野、学名：Prunus × yedoensis）とはエドヒガン系の桜とオオシマザクラの交配で生まれたサクラの園芸品種である[1]。現代の観賞用サクラの代表種であり、「吉野桜」と表記する場合もある。またエドヒガンとオオシマザクラを交配したものすべてを「ソメイヨシノ」ということもあり、狭義のソメイヨシノを二名法の「ソメイヨシノ ’ソメイヨシノ’」と書く場合もある}。

花弁は5枚で葉が出る前に花が開き、満開となる。開花期は九州地方で3月末ごろ。花色は咲き始めは淡紅色だが、満開になると白色に近づく。原種の一方であるエドヒガン系統と同じく満開時には花だけが密生して樹体全体を覆うが、エドヒガンよりも花が大きく派手である。エドヒガン系統の花が葉より先に咲く性質とオオシマザクラの大きくて整った花形を併せ持った品種である。

萼筒は紅色でつぼのような形をしている。樹高はおおよそ10-15m。若い木から花を咲かすために非常に良く植えられている。実は小さく、わずかに甘みもあるが、苦みと酸味が強いため食用には向かない。葉はのこぎり状になっている。秋には紅葉する。

東京の染井村(現豊島区駒込の一部)から広まった吉野ザクラとして、ソメイヨシノという和名が与えられた。ソメイヨシノは、竹中要の実験によればオオシマザクラとエドヒガンの自然交配種であるとされる。今日全国で最も広く植栽されているサクラだが、明治の初期にはまだめずらしかった。このソメイヨシノに Prunus yedoensis という学名を与えたのは植物学の第二代教授となった松村任三で植物学雑誌一五巻(一九〇一年)に発表された。yedoensis は江戸産のという意味である。