mea culpa … now, here is a real Japanese Flowering Cherry tree. The big one is a Plum.)

My Place, photos, This and That

In the interest of truth and wisdom, I have to issue a correction — dealing with my misidentification of flowering trees.

I mistakenly identified my beautiful tree with the purple foliage and explosion of gorgeous pink blossoms as a Japanese Flowering Cherry. In fact, the tree in question is a PLUM tree. I am not sure what its real name is, but I will find out by asking the nursery where it came from.

However…before I drown in protests, I hasten to add that there IS indeed a Japanese Flowering Cherry tree out in my yard right next to the mis-identified Plum tree. I personally planted both of the flowering trees about 20 years ago.

Here’s the thing: Several years ago the Cherry tree developed a serious illness, and gradually died. The branches formed a pleasing shape any way, and when I noticed that several new little shoots were coming out of the ground I decided to leave them alone and see what happened. Gradually the old tree deteriorated, and lost upper branches to the elements. I let the tree trunk remain as a framework for the new shoots to climb on. Two or three years ago I discovered a few flowers on the tree.

(Photos and story ©Sometimes, 2021)

  • Here we can see the remaining structure of the original tree, and the several new shoots reaching from the root base.
  • Beautiful blossoms.
  • growths on the old branch; evidence of damage of previous years.
  • This year many more blossoms on the CHERRY tree. Shown here is the new growth coming up from the ground adjacent to the structure of the old.
  • PLUM tree, overloaded with blossoms, branches drooping.
    to the left, part of the Lil’ Kim Lilac which had been injured in the recent ic storm.

4 thoughts on “mea culpa … now, here is a real Japanese Flowering Cherry tree. The big one is a Plum.)”

  1. It is so hard to identify some trees. Just like my pear tree isn’t a pear tree because it doesn’t produce pears, only flowers, so that makes it a flowering pear tree…..lol Regardless your tree has beautiful flowers on it.

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    1. thanks. My late husband used to have a good-sized apple orchard, and he kept the trees trimmed in neat rows. I think there were 35 trees in all, beautiful trees that produced excellent apples.

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    1. My gardening is left pretty much to its own auspices, yesterday I trimmed some of the broken branches off of my damaged trees and shrubs. The gorgeous blossoms are done. My son says it was the heavy wet snow storm last week that did the damage. I had to trim my Lil’ Kim Lilacs back severely. One of them literally half of the shrub had to be cut out from the base. It was a much bigger job than an hour for an old woman with pruning shears. 🙂

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