Hello Blossoms

It’s the fruit trees - apples, pears, cherries and plums, both productive and ornamental - that take centre stage, putting on an exuberant display that, for a few precious weeks, is impossible to ignore.

In Japan at this time people flock to parks to picnic beneath branches weighed down by blossom, and illuminated after dark by paper lanterns hung from their boughs. This is the festival of Hanami, a celebration of the exuberance and delicacy that is the hallmark of the season. But don’t let the Japanese have all the fun. Plant a few blossom trees and you could hold a Hanami celebration of your own.

ORCHARD OF DELIGHTS

CHERRY
Best for big gardens
Prunus serrulata ‘Tai-haku’ - The Great White Cherry starts out in life as an upright specimen, but as its matures its branches spread out horizontally, a bit like the spokes on an umbrella, and its an arresting sight. At Alnwick Gardens in Northumbria, there’s a Great White Cherry orchard that will, eventually, create a single, lacy canopy which, in spring, will be smothered in blossom.

Best for small gardens
Prunus serrulata ‘Kojo-no-mai’ - This dwarf cherry will grow no higher than 1.5m, so tuck it into a small space near a doorway or window, or even a pot, where you can enjoy its pink-infused, white flowers.

APPLE
Best for large flowers
Malus domestica ‘Red Falstaff’ - Its showy blossoms make this a fine choice if you have space for just a few trees in your garden.

Best for seasonal effects
Malus x robusta ‘Red Sentinel” -   This lovely crab apple is worth growing just for its showy, white blossom but an added benefit is the bounty of cherry-red fruits that hang on the tree like baubles, persisting right through autumn.

PEAR
Best for beating the weather
Pyrus communis ‘Doyenne de Comice’ - Because the flowers of this old variety don’t appear until mid spring, they have a better chance than other pears of being unaffected by frost.

Best for renters
Pyrus communis ‘Conference’ - The dwarf form of the country’s most popular pear will survive very happily in a large pot, so moving it from place to place is not a problem.

PLUM/DAMSON
Best for late flowers
Plum ‘Marjorie’s Seedling - This versatile plum is late to flower and when it does it produces cup-shaped white flowers, followed by fruits that can be used for cooking or eating.

Best for exposed gardens
Damson ‘Pure Damson’ - This is a tough, native fruit, often found in hedgerows, that grows no larger than a bush or large tree. Use it to add froth to an informal hedge.

OVER THE HEDGE

But it’s not just the orchard fruits that dazzle at this time of the year. Every hedgerow is transformed, first by blackthorn, which is the earliest of our native plants to open its blossom, then by elderberry and finally by hawthorn which turns field margins creamy-white

Cultivated forms of these wild shrubs, along with a dazzling cast of North American and Oriental specimens, can extend blossom season in the garden and provide essential nectar for insects as they emerge from hibernation.

Here are just a few of the many flowering trees and shrubs that are at their best in spring.

• Amelanchier lamarckii  - The Snowy mespilus from North America not only delivers white blossom in spring, but red fruits and vivid autumn colour.
• Crataegus laviegata 'Paul's Scarlet' - In spring this cultivated hawthorn is smothered in dark pink double flowers.
• Magnolia stellata - With its starry white flowers, this small tree is a sparkling addition to the garden.
• Cercis canadensis - The forest pansy makes a lovely small tree, its pink flowers contrasting with the dark purple of its heart-shaped leaves. It is hardy, but in very cold areas its flowers and blossom can be damaged by frost.
• Cornus kousa - The Japanese dogwoods are delightful trees, suitable for even the smallest garden, with flowers in shades of white and pink.
• Chaenomeles - The cup-shaped flowers of the Japanese quince can be any colour from pure white to brick red. These are tough shrubs, able to withstand the worst weather that early spring can throw at them.

GOING UP

Deck the walls with the right sorts of climbers and you can carry blossom up vertical surfaces. In small gardens, where a tree or large shrub would overpower the space, clothing walls and fences is an effective way of bringing blossom into the garden.

Clematis montana   - This vigorous climber has enough flower power to cover a shed or smother a wall. Its pale pink blossom-like flowers are scented. Keep it in check by cutting it back hard after flowering.

Akebia quinta - The cream-flowered version of the chocolate vine is fully hardy and unfussy about soil or aspect. It’s pendant flowers look good hanging from a pergola.