Other Names:  Rock Cherry, Prostrate Cherry

Description:

This ornamental, ground hugging cherry produces lovely pink flowers in spring that cover the branches; fine ovate foliage provides excellent groundcover; fruit is edible but not tasty; this alpine variety is an excellent accent for the rock garden

Ornamental Features

Mountain Cherry features showy lightly-scented shell pink flowers along the branches in mid spring, which emerge from distinctive hot pink flower buds before the leaves. It has attractive dark green deciduous foliage. The serrated oval leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding gold in the fall. The fruits are showy crimson drupes carried in abundance in mid summer.

Landscape Attributes

Mountain Cherry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Mountain Cherry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Mountain Cherry will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America.