Cerasus serrulata "Royal Burgundy" (sakura), 1.8-2 m plant height

• Type: Japanese flowering cherry
• Latin name: Cerasus serrulata
• Cultivar: Royal Burgundy
• Mature height: up to 6–8 m
• Leaves: bronze-purple, reddish in autumn
• Height when sold: 1.8–2 m
• Light: sunny
• Winter hardiness: USDA 5–8 (in Estonia in a warm, sheltered spot)

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny spot with fertile, well-drained soil; wet spots with standing water are unsuitable. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot, mix the excavated soil with compost, set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot and water generously. Space plants 4–5 m apart.

Watering Water a young plant regularly for the first two years and more often in dry spells; an established plant needs watering only in long dry periods. Mulch the soil with bark or wood chips.

Pruning Prune lightly, straight after flowering: remove dead and crossing branches and avoid large cuts; seal them with tree paint if needed.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with compost or an organic fertiliser and, if needed, with a complex fertiliser in spring – early summer; give no nitrogen in autumn. Sakura is frost-tender in Estonia: plant it in a warm, sheltered spot and protect a young tree over winter with mulch, spruce boughs and whitewash or wrapping on the trunk.