Prunus Accolade Pink Cherry

Prunus Accolade Ornamental Cherry
The ornamental cherry Prunus Accolade is a variety of ornamental Cherry that is very much in demand for its lovely spring blossoms, autumn foliage, and graceful form year-round. It has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Prunus Accolade is a beautiful ornamental cherry which starts the growing season off early, as it is one of the first to blossom in early April, or even late March. Its dark pink buds lighten to a pale pink after they open into abundant flowers up to 4 cm across. The tree will be smothered in blooms! Through the summer its graceful shape and green leaves maintain its value as a landscape tree, and then in autumn the leaves turn to yellow-orange, providing a welcome burst of late-season colour. The bare tree in winter is notable for its graceful shape and smooth red-brown bark. 

The ornamental cherry Accolade is reliably winter-hardy throughout the UK and northern Europe, making it a good choice for any gardener. It will grow to a height and spread of 4-8 metres over a period of 10 to 20 years. It requires little pruning to maintain its natural graceful shape.

Prunus Accolade is extremely forgiving in regards to growing conditions. It will grow in any soil, as long as it is well-drained, although it is best to mix in plenty of organic matter when planting it. It can be placed in a sheltered or exposed position, as long as it has full sun. The only place where it will not thrive is in a coastal location. However, since it will tolerate pollution, it is an excellent choice for an urban garden.

The ornamental cherry Accolade can fill a variety of niches in your small garden or larger property. One specimen will turn a small garden into a bower of blossoms every spring, and provide dappled shade throughout the summer for perennials and annuals planted beneath, before lighting the garden up again with its autumn foliage.  It also makes a striking courtyard planting. 

On a larger property, lining an avenue or roadway with Prunus Accolade would create a stunning springtime show. A single specimen would also make an excellent focal planting in the middle of a lawn, but if you have the space, a group of these graceful trees would be even more spectacular when they blossom out in spring, as well as creating a lovely spot for a shade garden and seating area throughout the season. The ornamental cherry Accolade makes a woodland garden glow every spring with its blossoms, as long as it is not planted in deep shade. 

Versatile and hardy, with an incomparable spring show of flowers, Prunus Accolade makes an excellent choice for gardens large and small.