Blossom in spring to celebrate at RHS Wisley

Spring arrives at RHS Garden Wisley when our beautiful collection of flowering cherry trees steal the show

Don’t miss the beautiful blossom season! It’s that wonderful time at RHS Garden Wisley when hundreds of flowering cherries light up the garden with clouds of blossom. The spectacle starts as soon as you arrive, as our avenue of more than 140 Yoshino cherry trees (Prunus x yedoensis) are smothered with white to pale-pink blooms on the Welcome Landscape.

RHS Garden Wisley app

There are cherries to discover blossoming throughout RHS Wisley in late March and April. Garden Manager Peter Jones shares his favourite examples and where to find them in the garden with the RHS Garden Wisley app.

Meet the blossoming stars

Prunus ‘Collingwood Ingram’

One of our earliest cherries to flower, in an outrageous shade of pink, is Prunus ‘Collingwood Ingram’ AGM. This cultivar is named after cherry expert Collingwood Ingram, widely regarded as the man that saved many rare Japanese cherries from extinction. Noticeably upright, this tree can stand like vivid pink spires against a clear blue sky and is great for adding vibrant spring colour to the garden. At Wisley, we have a gorgeous group to spot near the entrance of The Pinetum – well worth a look!

Prunus ‘Accolade’

Don’t miss Prunus ‘Accolade’ AGM – a superb cultivar raised in 1952 by Knaphill Nurseries and thought to be a hybrid between P. × subhirtella and P. sargentii. This romantic cherry produces an abundance of delicate, soft pink, semi-double blooms and has a graceful spreading habit. Wander under our magnificent specimens that form an informal avenue leading from the Rock Garden to the Glasshouse Landscape.

Prunus ‘The Bride’

With simple but breathtaking blossom Prunus ‘The Bride’ AGM is a delightful cherry for those desiring a dense multi-branched tree smothered in spring blooms. Borne in great profusion, its single white flowers open from delicate pink-tinged buds, which become red in the centre with age. Look out for this cherry in the Rock Garden, as well as our superb specimen near the entrance of The Pinetum, guaranteed to stop you in your tracks!

Prunus × yedoensis

The beautiful Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis) is famed for being mass planted throughout Japan. It produces an explosion of single, pink-flushed white flowers that completely cover the tree’s branches and has a lovely horizontal habit. This cherry works hard in autumn too, boasting excellent orange-red foliage. You don’t have to visit Japan to enjoy this spectacle. An amazing 140 trees have been planted in RHS Wisley’s Welcome Landscape, creating a truly magical experience as you enter the garden.

Prunus ‘Ichiyo’

One of our largest flowering cherry trees, the impressive Prunus ‘Ichiyo’ AGM – also known as ‘Pink Champagne’ – is a great cherry if you have room to grow it, but can get rather big if given the opportunity. In spring its branches are adorned with double, shell-pink rounded flowers that hang down in pleasing clusters. You’ll find this cherry in the Rock Garden and on Battleston Hill – it’s easy to spot the towering example that shines over the broadwalk.

Prunus ‘Shogetsu’

Often the last cherry to flower Prunus ‘Shogetsu’ AGM bares large, perfectly white double flowers that open from blush pink buds. As a later flowering cherry it has the feature that the foliage begins unfurling at the same time as the blossom. Growing to only 3–4m in height after 20 years, this charming tree is well worth considering for a smaller garden. Discover a great example in the Bowes-Lyon Rose Garden blooming above a sea of bright blue camassia.

Shop for spring colour

Our RHS Wisley Garden Centre is full of colour and scent for spring. Discover a wide range of flowering shrubs and trees, as well as colourful gifts and fragrances for the home, so you can enjoy springtime both inside and out.

Plan your visit to RHS Wisley

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.