Beautiful double pink blossoms, good fall color, lack of fruit, and an upright, vase-shaped form make the Kwanzan cherry the most popular cultivar of all the double flowering cherries. It is a splendid specimen tree and can be planted in containers, along walks and streets, and in buffer strips. It can also be used for bonsai.
Named after a mountain in Japan, the Kwanzan cherry tree is native to China, Japan, and Korea. The original name is 'Sekiyama,' but it is rarely used. Introduced to America in 1903, it was made famous by the glorious floral displays at the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. Primarily growing in East Potomac Park, the Kwanzan cherry trees come into bloom two weeks later than the Yoshino cherry trees.
This tree requires moist, well drained soil and is somewhat drought tolerant.
The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to lanceolate in shape, 2"-5" long, 1 1/4"-2 1/2" wide with serrated margins. New leaves emerge reddish copper, turning lustrous dark green in summer and yellow to orange-bronze in fall.
Double (about 30 petals), clear pink and fading, up to 2 1/2" diameter flowers in pendulous clusters of 3-5.