I’m so sick of our flowering cherry tree!

David49

Our Cherry trees do produce fruit, the birds love then but spread the seeds which is a pain because we get seedlings popping up everywhere.

If the OP doesn’t like her Cherry cut it down and plant something else

I think it has a tree preservation order on it, David49.
I sometimes think our garden would be like Sleeping Beauty's Forest if we didn't pull up all the tree seedlings from nuts that the squirrel buries everywhere.

You could apply to the Council for permission to have it lopped or topped, Witzend.

We had a large flowering cherry cut down in our fairly spacious front garden. It was pretty for a week or two but took up too much space, light and nutrients. Now enjoying red and white currants if the birds don't get there first.

Witzend

Sorry, but I’d still prefer almost any real fruit tree, perhaps especially an apple. But I know so many will disagree!

Yes I agree, I have a beautiful plum tree, the blossom is divine and later on we have lovely plums for a crumble. Win, win.😊

Flowering cherries remind me of my huge collection of iris -not that attractive for most of the year and absolutely glorious when in bloom !
I must admit that they are truly exquisite when they flower .
Careful with pruning-it often creates an ugly tree .
My father had a magnificent tree pruned and ruined by someone claiming to be a gardener .
I think that J52 has the best solution - use it to display lovely climbers.

Complaining about cherry blossom? Nature isn’t tidy.

"Loveliest of trees, the Cherry now is hung with blossom on the bough".

A.E.Houseman.

I have a cherry tree in the garden it's currently covered in white blossom. It fills me with joy.
Later when all the blossom has gone there will be cherries - if the birds don't get to them first.

We had a grumpy old lady living next to us for 40 years insisting on the hedge between us be cut. I kept it as high as possible as she and her husband with dementia had the most atrocious loud arguments. Then the house was sold and the pretty cottage was replaced by a monstrosity by the builder who had bought it. So I’ve let the hedge grow and been rewarded by magnificent cherry blossom and this year it almost hides the monstrosity.

Of my three score years and ten, seventy will not come again.

I used to have one and I loved it. In the breeze when the blossom fell it was like a snowstorm- magical!
I don't get the fuss about the mess- it soon disappears in the rain and wind...

I felt exactly the same. We moved into the house 6 years ago and the cherry tree was in the middle of the front lawn. Both my husband and i felt the same . Would much rather have an apple or a real fruiting cherry tree. My husband felled it last year. Just need the apple tree now!

There is a huge cherry tree planted just inside the boundary of the house next door. I don’t mind the blossom, but the leaves take a great deal of clearing up on our side. I’ve had to replant the bed on our side as it has become increasingly shady. I think a lot of people don’t understand the difference between an ornamental cherry and the native British woodland cherry tree. A bit like the native silver birch v ornamental cultivars.
Unfortunately, local authorities desperate to meet their tree planting targets have given these native trees away for free or at very low cost for years now. People just see silver birch or cherry and plant them in urban gardens where they become an increasing problem.
Incidentally, even if a tree is protected, you can apply to have it removed or reduced size if it’s in an inappropriate space or too close to a building. We have a huge beech tree alongside our driveway - we recently had the lower branches removed to raise the canopy and the tree surgeon simply applied for permission to do this - it really wasn’t a problem.

I like the pale pink ones but there's one near me that's so dense and in-your-face deep pink it's almost obscene!

We have a crab apple tree in the front garden , flowers beautifully and they last several weeks. I would live a cherry blossom tree as well even though they don’t last long enough , they’re so beautiful.

Our street was lined with these stunning trees . 3 years ago , the council said they were diseased and cut them ALL down , and replaced them with flagpole cherry trees .
We all miss our beautiful trees , at this time of year . I know they make a mess but it was SO worth it . People would tour our street and come walking around the street, just to see the amazing display . So sad .

We have a very large pink magnolia which has been magnificent this year. I have tons of petals to sweep up but I don’t mind. I have to sweep because for some reason the dogs like to eat them. I checked if they are harmful, but apparently it’s ok as long as they don’t eat a lot.

I totally get it as I have one in my front garden. It needs cutting back and is being taken over by tree ivy. I've tried to remove some of the ivy but can't reach up high enough so I'm probably going to have to get someone in to help, but can't really afford to! I love it when it flowers but am always disappointed by how short a time the blossom lasts. None of my neighbours have complained about the petals yet thankfully! My 'To Do List' for today includes climbing on my step stool to get a bit higher up and pull more ivy off as the weather is so nice at present. Wish me luck!

I live on an estate with plenty of room for large trees and, much as I love the cherries when in bloom, find them pretty dull for the rest of the year. When they have to remove them as they grow too large, particularly near buildings, they put in a wider variety of trees including Liquidamber, some lovely crab apples and acers amongst others.
The thing that annoys me is the lack of imagination used when planting shrubs, for example Photinia have been fashionable for some years but are really too large for most beds and need to be pruned. We also have some of those very dull laurels, both plain and spotted, that extremely dull non-flowering lonicera and some boring berberis. Why not plant smaller shrubs that can grow into their natural shape without getting too large?

One of the houses we lived in had one of those cherries that flowers very early in the year. We had a professional come in and prune it but it grew all tufty at the ends and in the end we and our neighbours agreed that it should come down. We replaced it with a very pretty Sorbus with blossom and fruit, without a very wide spread and it was a great improvement.
If I could choose any fruit tree I think I'd have a pear on dwarfing rootstock to restrict its height. Some don't have fruit every year but some years the weight of the fruit makes the branches droop in a most attractive way. It is such a joy to be able to pick a perfectly ripe pear warm from the tree.
Damsons are lovely too, you can rarely buy them in the shops now and they are so delicious. Not a particularly pretty tree though.

Witzend

Pretty for maybe a week, with a mountain of pink ‘snow’ to clear up afterwards. Actually IMO they should be called ‘No-cherries’ trees - what is the point of all that blossom with no fruit to follow?

We didn’t plant it , it was there when we bought the house decades ago and is now really too big. (And protected, so we can’t have it felled.).
Personally I’d much prefer a tree that produces fruit, apple blossom is IMO much prettier anyway - or even ‘real’ cherry blossom.
I dare say I will be seen as VVU but I now see flowering cherries as overdressed and blowsy!

Why don't you use it as a support to grow something else up?

Also, don't know if you've ever done the preserving leaves in glycerine solution thing, but branches from flowering cherry come out really well (you can also preserve just the leaves if you want but the branches are great for arrangements in the house later in the year)

cherry trees can be dangerous to the structure of a house. You may need to consult a qualified tree surgeon to look at the tree . A dodgy tree man may suggest nailing copper nails into the base of the tree !

Ilovedogs22

Witzend

Sorry, but I’d still prefer almost any real fruit tree, perhaps especially an apple. But I know so many will disagree!

Yes I agree, I have a beautiful plum tree, the blossom is divine and later on we have lovely plums for a crumble. Win, win.😊

I'm with you Witzend on this - there are so many other trees that produce beautiful blossom and are also productive. My apple trees are simply beautiful at the moment and I've got a medlar which is spectacular.

You should tty living near alder and sycamore trees. No blossom but plenty seeds to clean up for weeks and weeks and they stain the patio!

how can it be protected if it's in your garden and previous owners planted it? I didn't know cherry trees were protected? I love their blossom

reply to Mojack26. Councils can put TPOs on trees in gardens - never in woodland! we had 13 with TPOs and even when one tree fell and another was diseased, the council made us replant. Madness