Plant Type

Tree

 

Height Range

12-25', 25-40'

 

Flower Color

White

 

Flower Season

Spring

 

Leaf Color

Green

 

Bark Color

Brown, Grey

 

Fruit Color

Black

 

Fruit Season

Summer

Sun

Full, Half

 

Water

Medium

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Sandy, Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

Attracts Bees, Messy

Design Styles

English Cottage, Ranch

 

Accenting Features

Fragrance, Showy Flowers

 

Seasonal Interest

Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Foundation, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Cut Flowers, Screen

 

Attracts Wildlife

Birds

Bird cherry is a deciduous ornamental tree that typically grows 20 to 40 feet tall and wide, with a rounded, dense crown. Fragrant white flowers in pendulous 3 to 6-inch long clusters appear after the foliage emerges in spring. Flowers are followed by astringent, pea-sized, black cherries which ripen in mid-summer. As with the closely-related chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), the fruit is extremely bitter to humans but loved by birds. Dull dark green leaves are elliptic and lightly serrated; foliage turns yellow in fall.

Grow in any well-drained soil, in full sun to part shade. Adaptable to a wide range of soils.