Flowering Cherry Little Twist®

Here it is, the patio accent or small-space specimen you have been searching for! A slow-growing dwarf Fuji Cherry tree, Little Twist® is lovely in every season, with exceptional shape, blooms, fruit, and foliage changes! You could not ask for a more beautiful plant, and it's so easy to grow!

Its Japanese name, Kojo-no-mai, means "flight of the butterflies," referring to the hundreds upon hundreds of ½-inch blooms that pop open from red buds in early spring. Pale pink with a red center upon opening, they mature to pure white with a warm pink blush at the heart. Expect to see them individually and in pairs all over this little tree for several weeks at the very beginning of the growing season. What a lovely way to welcome spring!

But the most remarkable thing about Little Twist® isn't even all those flowers. It's the flowering branches themselves, which are charmingly zigzagged and angled for an utterly unique look! Held almost horizontally, they point this way and that, creating a completely different silhouette for spring, when the "butterflies" are in full flight, and in winter, when they are delightfully bare.

Summer and fall also have special beauty on this amazing little tree. The fresh green foliage of summer is dotted with purple fruits that arise after the blooms pass and are enticing to songbirds. They continue to ripen into autumn and remain on the tree over many months, adding to the display for several seasons. And when the weather cools down in fall, the leaves turn brilliant shades of orange and red before dropping for winter!

You might expect such a remarkable Flowering Cherry to require some special care, but it's as trouble-free and low maintenance as its cousins! Give it well-drained soil in sun to very light shade (or high-quality potting soil that you refresh every year, if growing it in a container). Water it well the first year, then let it take off. That's all there is to it!

Little Twist® reaches just 3 to 4 feet high and 4 to 5 feet wide, and it takes its time getting there. It's a lovely choice for the patio, deck, balcony, or front porch steps, as well as the garden. A pair flanking the garden entrance would be pure heaven! You'll find just the right spot for this little treasure, and it will bring you decades of matchless beauty. Enjoy (and order soon, before it sells out!). Zones 5-8.