Cherry trees and their beautiful blossom: Where and when to see it in the UK

Different varieties of cherry trees bloom at slightly different times. One of the earliest is the winter cherry, Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis'. This tree's flowers appear in autumn and last nearly to the end of winter. The spring blossoms of other cherry tree varieties usually last for just a few weeks.

Where to see cherry trees in the UK

Cherry blossom is intrinsically tied to the history and culture of Japan, where the flowers are known as sakura. The tradition of viewing them is known as Hanami, and it stretches back at least 1,000 years.

Today, people from all walks of life celebrate the annual blooming of cherry trees. Many see in this return of spring through festivals called Sakura Matsuri. 

But you don't have to plan a trip to Japan to see cherry trees blooming. Thousands of locations around the world offer opportunities to enjoy the cherry blossom season. There are many great spots across the UK where you can walk beneath clouds of pink and white petals.

Top cherry blossom locations in London

We're spoilt for choice with places to see cherry blossom in London.

With their manageable size and annual delicate floral displays, cherry trees are a popular choice in parks and gardens, and they survive well in urban environments so can often be spotted lining our streets. In fact, several streets close to us in South Kensington sport a bright pop of pink in spring!

Visit one of the Royal Parks and you'll see more cherry trees than ever before. In 2019, Japan gifted the UK 25 new cherry trees which were planted as part of the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-2020.

Here are some of the top places to look out for cherry trees in London. 

St Paul's Cathedral features a picturesque splash of pink in the springtime.

Wild cherry, Prunus avium

Wild cherry is sometimes also known as Gean. This is the tallest cherry in Europe, reaching up to 30 metres high and can be found growing in woodland and hedgerows. It's also grown as an ornamental tree in parks, gardens and along streets.

Wild cherry blooms in April with a cluster of two to six white flowers bursting from each bud. Its red cherry fruits appear around July and are food for birds and mammals, which in turn help to distribute the plant's seeds.

This species is found across Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. 

Bird cherry, Prunus padus

Bird cherry produces white flowers that have a distinctive almond scent. These bloom in a dense cluster along a stalk (called a raceme) and usually flower in May.

This tree produces globular black fruits that are very bitter – though they're still an important food source for animals.

Bird cherry is often found in wet and upland woodlands, alongside streams and also in hedgerows. Like wild cherry, this tree produces oval leaves with serrated edges, though the 'teeth' are smaller on this species. 

Sour cherry, Prunus cerasus

Sour cherry has bright white flowers that grow in clusters of two to six. These usually appear in May, making this one of the latest blooming cherry trees.

The round fruit of this tree can be bright red to near black, though it grows on shorter stalks than the bird and wild cherry. You'll find this tree in hedgerows, copses, and at the edge of woodlands.

A variety of this tree produces morello cherries, which are commonly used in cooking and baking, as well as in producing the colourless brandy Kirsch.

Other Prunus species in the UK

A number of cherry trees and their close relatives have been introduced to or are cultivated in the UK. 

Tibetan cherry, Prunus serrula

Rather than being grown for its flowers, this small tree is often admired for its fantastic bark, which is a bright and glossy mahogany-red colour.

Yoshino cherry, Prunus x yedoensis

The white-flowered, rapidly-growing Yoshino is one of the most commonly planted cherry cultivars.

It's also known as Somei-yoshino and is a hybrid of the Oshima cherry (Prunus speciosa) and Prunus pendula f. ascendens. It's cloned from a single tree and grafting has been used to propagate this plant all around the world.

Its name comes from Somei village, which is now part of Toshima City in Tokyo, and Mount Yoshino, part of a UNESCO world heritage site and famous for its groves of flowering cherry trees. 

Mount Yoshino in Nara Prefecture, Japan, attracts many visitors when its some 30,000 cherry trees bloom. The mountain and its surroundings include several important religious and pilgrimage sites, and the abundant blossoms have inspired folk songs and poetry for centuries.

How will climate change affect cherry blossoms?

Thanks to the long-held traditions of cherry blossom viewing, there are long-term records of when cherry trees have flowered to look back on. Even during the blossoming season today, Japanese weather channels report on the 'cherry tree front' as the blooms spread across the country.

Records like these can help scientists look at changes in the time of year the trees are flowering and identify any link between that and our warming world.

For example, a 25-year study of the cherry trees on western Tokyo's Mount Takao found that, on average, the trees bloomed 5.5 days earlier than at the beginning of the study period. Over that time the average temperature had warmed by 1.8°C.

More research from Kyoto shows that the average flowering date from 1971-2000 was seven days earlier than an average of the last 1,200 years!

As for the UK, as the world's climate changes and winters become milder, as with other plants here, we could expect that the timing of cherry tree flowering could steadily become earlier each year.

Your favourite cherry tree locations

Where's your favourite cherry blossom spot? Do you know of a street in London lined with cherry trees, or perhaps you've seen beautiful blossoms elsewhere in the world?

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