Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan'

Our driveway is lined with fourteen 30+ year-old Kwanzan flowering cherry trees. Kwanzans have been grown and revered in Japan since the 15th century. It is fascinating that the tremendous floral show of these trees is made up of grapefruit sized spheres of flowers and emerging leaves---a fact lost in the visual cacophony of a tree in full bloom. Our showy bloomers are, alas, as most flowering cherries in the Pacific Northwest, nearing the ends of their careers. With our cold, wet springs, the trees suffer from brown rot, canker, and cherry bark tortrix. We don’t spray in our garden, so are watching the trees slowly decline over the years.