Japanese Cherry Trees

(Pictured, the Oranges of Minamiashigara, near Odawara, by Kevan Hudson)

Japanese Cherry Trees

By Tanya Truong

There are many different varieties of Japanese cherry trees and this article will list some of the most common to the area. There are at least 12 different varieties of cherry that will be listed starting with the Somei Yoshino.

This is the most numerous of cherry trees in Japan, and comes with slightly pink or almost white 5 petal flowers. The Yamazuka is a wild, native cherry that grows in mountainous areas with slightly pink 5 petal flowers. The Shidarezakura is the weeping cherry and has five petal blossoms which can be either white or pink. The Ichiyo has 20 light pink petals. The Ukon has 10-20 petals per blossom and these are yellow in color. Kanzan blossoms hold as many as 30 pink petals.

The Fugenzo has about 30 petals per blossom and start out as a white to slight pink that turns into a darker pink. The Shogetsu has white blossoms of 20 petals. And the Kikuzakura has 100 petals per blossom. This is one of the late bloomers as far as cherry blossoms go. Now the times of the year to see these in Japan are as follows: Yoshino - Late March early April. Yamazakura is late March and early April as well. Skidarezakura - Late March - early April. Ichiyo - Mid April, Ukon - mid April. Kanzan blooms from mid to late April. Fugenzo also blooms from mid to late April. Shogetsu blooms from mid to late April and Kikuzakura blooms from late April to early May.

There are also other varieties of cherry blossom trees in Japan. These include Yaezakura, Shidarezakura and Yamazakura. The Yaezakura have large flowers with pink petals, The Shidarezakura has pink flowers. There are also fall varieties such as Autumnalis, which is considered to be a cross between Higan and Mamezakura. Here are some prime places in Japan for viewing the Sakura. In Tokyo, Odawara Castle, Omiya Koen Park, Mobara Koen Park, Kamine Koen Park and Takasaki Kannon-yama Koen are the places to be. In Kyoto, the best places to visit are Nara Park, Hikone-jo Castle, Himejijo Castle, and Akashi Koen.

In Osaka, The Japan Mint Osaka Head Office, Osako Nishinomaru Garden, Banpaku Koen, Kema Sakuanomiya Park and Kishiwada-jo Castle are your best options. In Kyushu and Okinawa the best places are Motobu Yaedake, Kumamoto Castle, Nishi Koen, Ogi Koen and Mochio Koen. In Tohoku region, Hirosaki Koen, Kitakami Tenshochi, Kajo Koen, Sendai Castle and Tsuruga Castle. In Hokkaido, you have Goryokaku Koen, Matsumae Koen Park, Nijukken Douro, Nenohi Park and Maruyama Park. In Chugoku region, you have Tsuyama Kakuzan Koen, Matsue Jozan Koen, Tokiwa Koen, Utsubuki Koen and Senkouji Koen. These are all places that you can visit and see the Japanese Cherry Trees in full bloom.

Tanya is an avid lover of nature. Her interest span many fields but her true passion lies in growing fantastic plants. Find out how you can master the art of growing cherries by visiting how to care for cherry trees [http://cherrytrees.neurofarts.com].

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