Flagpole Flowering Cherry – Prunus ‘Amanogawa’
Cherry Flagpole or Prunus Amanogowa is from a large genus of trees and shrubs which include plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds. Most are grown either for their fruit or for their ornamental value with varying shades of pink or white blossom. Originating in Asia in parts of Korea, China and Japan as the name Amanogowa suggests, the Cherry Flagpole is a small highly architectural tree with a tight fastigiate or columnar habit. In spring the semi-double fragrant shell pink flowers emerge from the branches in dense upright clusters on the branches as if reaching for the sky. Cherry Flagpole is an ideal hardy ornamental tree for the smaller garden as it requires little room. In autumn it rewards with a pretty array of leaf colour as they turn to red, green and orange-yellow all at the same time.
As it is quite a hardy specimen all Cherry Flagpole needs is just some reasonably good well drained soil and a bright sunny spot for flowering and will be suitable for urban as well as rural gardens as it will tolerate a certain amount of pollution. With slow to moderate growth Prunus Amanogowa will reach between 4-8 metres in height with a spread of 2.5-4 metres over a period of years.