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5 Cherry Blossom Trees to Grow in Texas (Ornamental Appeal)

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Home » Texas » 5 Cherry Blossom Trees to Grow in Texas (Ornamental Appeal)

Ornamental cherry trees are known all over the world for their iconic blossoms that mark the beginning of spring.

For Texas specifically, there are many cherry blossom trees that could happily grow throughout central and northern Texas.

Most cherry trees grow down to USDA planting zone 8, covering the northern half of the state, as Texas hardiness zones range from 6b to 10a.

So if you’re in northern Texas, there’s really a wide variety of cherry blossom trees that you could grow.

Fortunately, for those in southern Texas, there are several heat-tolerant cherry blossoms you can grow!

5 Cherry Blossom Trees to Plant in Your Texas Yard

1. Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis)

Yoshino Cherry Tree flowering
Image by Bernard Spragg via Flickr

The Yoshino Cherry Blossom is most likely the tree that comes to mind when you imagine a cherry blossom. This is the tree that’s shown every year at the DC Cherry Blossom Festival!

The Yoshino blooms with gorgeous, soft white flowers that make the tree look like it’s topped with fresh snow and has a slightly sweet, almond scent. However, their beauty is short-lived: in about 10 days, the flower bud forms, blooms, and all the flowers fall!

Despite the classic Japanese look of these trees, they’re actually a great pick for anyone in central or northern TX. These trees are quite drought resistant and aren’t picky about the soil they grow in- Yoshino trees can handle sandy, loamy, and clay soil.

Yoshino Cherry Blossoms actually do produce cherries, but the fruits are quite small and generally don’t taste very good, although they are edible!

  • Other Common Names: Japanese Flowering Cherry, Potomac Cherry, Tokyo Cherry
  • Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Average Size at Maturity: 45 ft tall to 40 ft wide
  • Fruiting Season: Mid to late March

Available at: Nature Hills & Fast-Growing-Trees

2. Okame (Prunus campanulata)

This cherry blossom is even more heat tolerant and is the ideal choice for all Texas growers!

Okame will have no problem growing in any region of TX, just up to the southern tip on the coast, near Corpus Christi.

This variety is also fairly tolerant of cold weather and super adaptable to any soil type.

Because of its low maintenance and beautiful blossoms, this tree has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

The Okame is an ideal pick for pink flowering trees in Texas and has a strong floral scent.

Following these, this tree has dark green foliage in the summer which turns to a strong orange in the fall.

  • Other Common Names: Taiwan cherry, Prunus Okame
  • Growing Zones: 6 to 9
  • Average Size at Maturity: 25 ft tall to 20 ft wide
  • Fruiting Season: Early to mid-spring, March

Available at: Nature Hills & Fast-Growing-Trees

3. Kwanzan Cherry Tree (Prunus ‘kwanzan’)

The Kwanzan is another tolerant and resilient cherry blossom variety that’s a perfect tree for central Texas and the warmer climate in the south.

Similar to the Okame, this variety can be grown in any part of TX and is especially tolerant of humidity and dry soil.

This tree also has pink blooms, but these are much fluffier and fuller than those of Okame.

Kwanzan has double blooms, which then blossom in clusters of 3 to 5, producing massive blooms of flowers.

The Kwanzan tree also blooms later in the season than most other cherry blossoms and is one of the few flowering trees in Texas with blooms that last for weeks!

Its leaves are another element of its beauty- they begin as a copper-orange in spring, turning green for the summer, and finishing as a deep orange in the fall.

  • Other Common Names: Prunus sekiyama, Kanzan Cherry
  • Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Average Size at Maturity: 40 ft tall to 40 ft wide
  • Fruiting Season: Spring, beginning of April

Available at: Nature Hills & Fast-Growing-Trees

4. Pink Weeping Cherry Tree (Prunus subhirtella var. pendula)

This gorgeous tree has pink blooms similar to the Okame and Kwanzan, except with the structure of an elegant weeping tree. It’s also a fast grower and will reach its mature height in just a few years!

Additionally, this weeping cherry is adaptable to many different soil compositions and highly drought resistant- qualities that are especially useful for trees in Texas.

This tree can grow down to zone 9, southern TX, but it will be more difficult to grow compared to central and northern TX.

The soft blooms of the Pink Weeping Cherry are circular and more pronounced than the other pink flower varieties and bloom within the first few years of the tree’s life.

In the summer, this tree is full and bushy with dark green foliage, which turns to a golden yellow in the fall. The Pink Weeping Cherry produces cherries, but they aren’t edible.

  • Other Common Names: Spring Cherry, Rosebud Cherry
  • Growing Zones: 4 to 9
  • Average Size at Maturity: 30 ft tall to 30 ft wide
  • Fruiting Season: Mid-spring, March

Available at: Nature Hills & Fast-Growing-Trees

5. Yoshino Weeping Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis pendula)

As you might imagine, this tree is a Yoshino Cherry Blossom- which was the #1 pick for this list- but in the form of a weeping tree.

So, if you like the features of the Yoshino but are looking for something a little different, this tree has the perfect combination.

The weeping version has many of the same qualities, like the sweet, almond scent of its blooms. Its flowers are very similar, except with a slightly more pink tint.

However, the Yoshino Weeping Cherry is more compact than the original Yoshino, making it more feasible for small yards or gardens. In fact, this tree can even grow in a container!

This tree will grow very well in central and especially northern TX, closer to zones 6 and 7, but unfortunately this is not an option for growers in southern TX.

  • Other Common Names: Shidare Yoshino
  • Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Average Size at Maturity: 20 ft tall to 20 ft wide
  • Fruiting Season: Spring, March through April

Available at: Nature Hills & Fast-Growing-Trees

Comparing Texas Cherry Blossom Tree Varieties

VarietyDescriptionGrowing ZonesAverage Size at Maturity
Yoshino CherryIconic cherry blossom, white flowers with sweet almond scent, drought-resistant, adaptable to soil types.5 to 845 ft tall, 40 ft wide
OkamePink blooms with strong floral scent. Awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.6 to 925 ft tall, 20 ft wide
Kwanzan Cherry TreePink double blooms in clusters, blooms last for weeks. Copper-orange leaves in spring, turning green in summer, deep orange in fall.5 to 940 ft tall, 40 ft wide
Pink Weeping Cherry TreeWeeping structure with pink blooms, fast-growing, adaptable to soil types, drought-resistant.4 to 930 ft tall, 30 ft wide
Yoshino Weeping CherryWeeping form of Yoshino Cherry. Similar sweet almond-scented blooms with a pink tint.5 to 820 ft tall, 20 ft wide

Grow Cherry Blossoms at Home!

We all know there’s something magical about seeing a full garden of blooming cherry blossoms, and while you might not be able to turn your yard into the Dallas Arboretum, it is possible to grow these amazing trees at home.

Along with the trees mentioned in this article, there are many varieties of fruiting cherry trees to grow in Texas. Plus, many grow ornamental peach trees in Texas, since these trees also have an impressive display of flowers and grow very well in the south!

Regardless of your tree of choice, I hope this article helps you feel confident that there are many options of beautiful flowering trees you can grow in any part of Texas!

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Peyton Warmack-Chipman

Environmental Politics & Permaculture Enthusiast

Peyton considers trees not just as plants that provide shade or yummy fruits, but as necessary for a healthy life and community. Peyton has done most of her research on environmental politics, but recently has shifted her focus towards actual agricultural practices, learning about ideas like agroforestry, food forests, and permaculture gardening. She's most often in the kitchen whipping something up, but otherwise can be found on long bike rides or doing research.

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