Some also provide distinctive, shiny bark with wintertime interest as well as noticeable autumn foliage coloring. All perform best when grown in full sun. One of the most striking and extensive displays of mixed ornamental cherries is located around the Tidal Basin in Washington D. C. and is the object of an annual festival drawing hundred of thousands to delight in their brief but awesome floriferousness. Being members of the rose family means that all cherries often are victims of debilitating diseases or insect nuisances which shortens their life spans to perhaps 20 years even with good care. Ice, wet snow or very high winds can crack their weak wood, especially when older, yet their visual appeal for early showiness usually outweighs these drawbacks for most gardeners.
Ornamental cherries are garden accents of worthiness.
Topping out at 25 feet with a sometimes-wider spread, it carries pale pink, single blossoms and shiny, deep green foliage but no autumn coloring of note. Native to northern Japan, Korea and the Sakhalin Peninsula of Siberia, where its wood is considered excellent timber, this cherry has proved highly intolerant of smoggy locations. The early blossoming of massed, single flowers are deep pink and fade to light pink, while the new foliage emerges in a bronze tone that later changes to rich green. Fairly speedy in growth when established, the Sargent cherry provides dense shading and impressive springtime noticeability. A recent introduction has attracted a wide audience in zones 6 to 8 for its deep red budding and rich pink, single flowering.