Prunus serrulata
The Japanese Cherry embodies Japanese aesthetics in a single tree: a spectacular, fleeting spring flowering that makes it one of the most admired bonsai in the world. Prunus serrulata is a deciduous tree with a naturally elegant bearing, capable of producing clouds of pink or white flowers from March on still-bare wood. Its silhouette structures quickly, its bark develops a characteristic network of horizontal lenticels with age. It is a generous species, responsive to pruning, that rewards those who know how to respect its seasonal rhythm.
Origin and natural habitat. Native to Japan, China and Korea, Prunus serrulata grows naturally in temperate mountain forests. It was domesticated over a millennium ago in Japan, where its flowers — the sakura — became a national symbol. Ornamental cultivars number in the hundreds, but in bonsai, single-flower forms closer to the wild type are preferred.
Bonsai particularities. Flowering is the central event of the year: it occurs on the previous year's wood, which requires pruning after flowering and never before. Beyond this constraint, the tree is fairly accommodating: growth is vigorous in the growing season, young wood bends easily, and autumn foliage takes on golden to orange tones. It is also sensitive to fungal diseases, particularly brown rot and bacterial canker — two vigilance points never to be overlooked.
The Japanese Cherry embodies Japanese aesthetics in a single tree: a spectacular, fleeting spring flowering that makes it one of the most admired bonsai in the world. Prunus serrulata is a deciduous tree with a naturally elegant bearing, capable of producing clouds of pink or white flowers from March on still-bare wood. Its silhouette structures quickly, its bark develops a characteristic network of horizontal lenticels with age. It is a generous species, responsive to pruning, that rewards those who know how to respect its seasonal rhythm.
Origin and natural habitat. Native to Japan, China and Korea, Prunus serrulata grows naturally in temperate mountain forests. It was domesticated over a millennium ago in Japan, where its flowers — the sakura — became a national symbol. Ornamental cultivars number in the hundreds, but in bonsai, single-flower forms closer to the wild type are preferred.
Bonsai particularities. Flowering is the central event of the year: it occurs on the previous year's wood, which requires pruning after flowering and never before. Beyond this constraint, the tree is fairly accommodating: growth is vigorous in the growing season, young wood bends easily, and autumn foliage takes on golden to orange tones. It is also sensitive to fungal diseases, particularly brown rot and bacterial canker — two vigilance points never to be overlooked.