Garden Pests and Diseases: What is going on with my Kwanzan Cherry Tree??, 0 by DonnaMack

DonnaMack wrote:
A personal experience with Kwansan. I purchased one knowing of the problems (my husband had to have it) despite what I read in Michael Dirr's Hardy Trees and shrubs. He notes that prunus serrulata cultivars are short lived, with Kwansan the most affected. They last 10 to 15 years. The one we purchased was fairly substantial, so it was probably about seven years old. Viruses , he noted, lead to gradual decline and death. After a few lovely years, we had to start removing limbs. I did every preventative to keep it from declining, from dormant oil to insecticidal soap, but the viruses came with the tree. In the last year, it exploded in the most gorgeous bloom ever, and then died.

If I could make a suggestion, I would recommend a Yoshino cherry (the Tidal Basin tree at the capital). We put it on a very exposed site and windy site, and it grew quickly into a substantial tree that rewards us with a lovely burst of flowers every year. It is one of the joys of our spring. And the shape is gorgeous. Here is is in our 2009 March blizzard.