Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High near 85F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..
Mainly clear. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Every spring, cherry trees throughout our area produce showy flowers that color the landscape. The blooms of multiple plantings can create a fantasy-like appearance.
Many varieties have blooms of many colors and shapes. Flowering cherries are an early spring attraction, but our climate and soils are not well suited for optimal growth. The Extension office receives many calls from homeowners worried that their cherry trees are declining.
Many varieties of cherries are popular with homeowners. "Okame" has lavender blooms that are one of the earliest spring-flowering trees. The tree has upright growth and a vase-shaped growth pattern. "Yoshino" cherries produce brilliant white flowers. It has around and spreading growth habit. Some of them have a weeping appearance. "Kwanzan" is a variety of Japanese cherry, producing pink to double red blossoms in the middle of spring. It has an upright growth habit.
Both "Yoshino" and "Kwanzan" cherries are the dominant trees in the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. "Autumnalis," which has pink to double white flowers, sometimes blooms in the early fall during warm spells. The tree has an upright and round growth habit with multiple trunks.
Despite their beauty, cherry trees are not adapted to our area. The hot summers combined with the heavy clay and acidic soils are detrimental to them. Some may last 20 or more years, others just a few, which all depends on the tree's condition when it was planted, proper planting, the soil, and environmental conditions. Their decline usually begins as a couple of branches die back, spreading to the whole tree.
Cherries are also susceptible to a host of diseases such as cancer caused by both bacteria and fungi. They cause sap to ooze out of the main trunk. Also, they are frequently affected by leaf spot diseases that cause defoliation of the leaves in late summer and early fall. This affliction seldom harms the tree, but it causes heavy leaf drops and prevents the trees from having their colorful leaves in the fall.
You should consider planting other flowering trees instead of cherries. Crape myrtles, crabapples, and fringe trees are alternatives, and they thrive in our area with minimal problems. If you have cherry trees on your property, you can take several steps to increase their lifespan. During summer dry spells, apply supplemental water. Water long enough, so it penetrates deeply into the root zone.
Since cherry trees suffer in acidic soils, broadcast some dolomitic limestone around the root zone and water it in thoroughly to help raise the pH. If you must plant cherries, consider "Autumnalis" and "Okame" — which tend to suffer less and live longer than the other varieties.
Even though flowering cherries are attractive when they bloom in the spring, they are not well adapted to our area. Consider using alternative flowering trees that produce abundant blooms and are better suited to our climate. Crabapples, crape myrtles, and fringe trees are excellent choices.
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Timothy Daly is an Agricultural and Natural Resource Extension Agent with UGA Extension Gwinnett.
UGA Extension Gwinnett is taking orders for our annual plant sale. They include several types of fruiting plants as well as ornamental ones. For more information and to download a form, go to: https://tinyurl.com/22tx2d79 or contact the Extension office to have one mailed to you.
(Family Features) Throughout the warmer months, many backyards play host to a variety of birds, including hummingbirds. When you see flowers a…
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185 N. Perry Street Lawrenceville, GA 30046
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