Nanking Cherry vs Japanese Tree Lilac - TreeTime.ca

Nanking Cherry vs Japanese Tree Lilac

Prunus tomentosa

Syringa reticulata

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Nanking Cherry
Japanese Tree Lilac

Nanking Cherry is a small deciduous shrub known for its attractive white blossoms and edible fruit. Its dark red berries are excellent for pies, jellies, and even fresh eating.

Nanking Cherry is highly regarded as a shade tolerant fruit. We often see it planted as a hedge on the north side of a house where few other plants will survive, let alone thrive.

Expect fruit mid to late July. The fruit can vary in sweetness and size considerably. We often hear that people prefer it to sour cherries. Perhaps this is because Nanking Cherry is more closely related to plums. In fact, it is sometimes used as a dwarfing rootstock for plums.

Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Nanking Cherry seeds at SeedTime.ca.

Japanese Tree Lilac is an attractive, heavy-flowering lilac with fragrant white blossoms. It can be pruned to a single stem or grown as a multi-stemmed shrub.

Japanese Tree Lilac's dark reddish-brown bark peels as the tree ages, creating visual appeal for any yard, especially in the winter.

This tree is often planted along boulevards and its attractive white flowers signal spring to all who drive by.

Nanking Cherry Quick Facts

Japanese Tree Lilac Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Flowers: white, early spring
Flowers: white with yellow anthers
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: low


In row spacing: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)


Other Names: ando cherry, chinese bush cherry, chinese dwarf cherry, downy cherry, hansens bush cherry, korean cherry, manchu cherry, mountain cherry, shanghai cherry