Prunus serrula – the competition from Kew Gardens

Prunus serrula, a young specimen just inside the Victoria Gate of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew –

Prunus serrula is rather better known, I think, than the Himalayan Cherry, Prunus himalaica, with its darker glossy bark. It is a small but vigorous deciduous tree of which the main attraction is the glossy, copper-red bark. The leaves are narrow and willow-like and the small, white, single flowers are produced at the same time as the leaves towards the end of Spring. Introduced by Ernest Wilson from western China in 1908. A chance to compare and contrast with the darker hues of the Himalayan Cherry I saw yesterday at the RHS Gardens Wisley. Hmm, which IS my favourite?

I make no apologies for taking every chance to call into the Gardens at Kew. While some of the highlights are naturally going to be a distance from the main gates, a little…