Before the advent of celebrating holidays on Monday so we could enjoy the benefits of a three-day weekend, we would be acknowledging Washington’s birthday today.

Even though Thomas Jefferson is rightfully known as a more agrarian president, Washington is closely linked to one of our most valued trees; the cherry tree. Every school child of my generation knew the story of how a dastardly deed done to the poor tree was turned into an act of historic proportion when George stepped up and took responsibility for his actions.

That didn’t help the tree, and we’re not sure if George had a permit to remove the tree, but at least he didn’t compound the problem with a lie.

The cherry tree is a member of the rose family. There are fruiting and flowering varieties, and both are popular, although for different reasons. Their cultural requirements are quite similar and if you have one type growing well in your landscape, chances are that the other will thrive also.

Standard sweet cherries grow to 30 feet tall and are not popular among home gardeners for the obvious reason of being difficult to harvest. If you have ever seen cherry trees that size, you would almost certainly agree that they are fabulous both in and out of bloom.

Shiny, silvery gray bark, orange-red fall foliage and spectacular white spring blossoms would recommend this tree even if the only ones to enjoy the fruit were the birds. Oftentimes, they are.

Portland and Eugene both have stands of some wonderful specimens. Keep your eyes open for them as they are disappearing due to disease and ice storm damage and are not being replaced.

Fruiting cherries are easier to grow and to harvest if you select those trees grown on dwarfing rootstocks. It is easy to maintain trees at half the size or less of standard- size varieties, and and it makes the other tasks of spraying and pruning less costly and time consuming also. Smaller trees are more likely to receive good spray coverage with less powerful equipment.

There is only one self-fertile variety, so you will need at least two trees to produce fruit. There are individual trees that have been grafted with multiple varieties of cherries, but for some reason, in all my years of gardening, I have never seen a mature one of these producing good fruit. I’m sure they exist, but I couldn’t tell you where you could see one.

Be careful when selecting pollinating varieties, as not all trees are compatible. Trust your nurseryman’s knowledge here. Be sure to ask.

If you have the deep, fertile, well-drained soil necessary to grow fruiting cherries, you can enjoy the many different flowering cherry trees that make a long winter a little more bearable with the knowledge that cherry flowers are waiting at the end.

I have been lucky to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., a few times and they are everything and more that is said about them. You needn’t have that kind of scale to enjoy them in your yard.

Flowering cherries are available in a wide array of growth habits and mature sizes as well as having their renowned selection of flower colors and forms. There will be one to fit in your yard no matter what size or type of landscape you have. From 10-foot-tall weepers to 60-foot shade trees, all have showy flowers that bloom in early to mid-spring.

Some of my favorites are the inverted cones and vase shaped varieties like “amanagowa” and “kwanzan.” Local nurseries will often stock quite a few choices during the bare root season and many more types are available from specialty nurseries that are easily found through the Internet.

Always try local sources first as you can examine the quality of the trees in person and are likely to find larger trees than those you would receive through shipping for the same price.

If you can meet their soil and drainage needs, and don’t mind doing some dormant season spraying, cherry trees can make showy, four-season additions to the garden. Make George proud on his birthday and celebrate by planting a cherry tree instead of cutting one down.

Stan Mapolski, aka The Rogue Gardener, can be heard from 9-11 a.m. Sunday mornings on KMED 1440 AM and seen in periodic gardening segments for KTVL Channel 10 News. Reach him at stanmapolski@yahoo.com.

source : www.mailtribune.com