Join us on January 18th for a delightful exploration of the trees that brave the winter chill to bloom. From the spectacular hybrid strawberry tree to the charming winter-flowering cherry, this article will reveal the hidden gems of January's tree flowers. Learn about the unique characteristics and history of these resilient trees, and find out where to spot them in London's parks and gardens. Don't miss out on this enchanting journey into the world of winter tree flowers!
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Tree Flowers
This is not the best month to look for tree flowers, but once again it is a good time to start. Few trees flower through the month, but the sadly underplanted hybrid strawberry tree Arbutus x andrachnoides is one. With its spectacular clusters of pearl-coloured flowers it would be impressive any month. These cover the whole tree and often even carpet the floor below. Its parents are the strawberry tree Arbutus unedo and the much rarer Cyprus strawberry tree A. andrachne which comes from the eastern Mediterranean where the hybrid itself can also be found growing naturally. The champion tree i.e. the largest in Britain, can be seen in Battersea Park by Ladies’ pond, where its fine cinnamon bark can also be enjoyed.
A visit to Kew Gardens may be rewarded with a sighting of the Japanese apricot Prunus mume touzi-bae which can come into flower in the first days of the month. A much more common sight throughout London is the winter-flowering cherry Prunus subhirtella autumnalis. This flowers intermittently from late October to the end of April, but now is when it is most noticeable.
The flowers are white but there is also a commonly planted pink form P. subhirtella autumnalis ‘rosea’. The main display of these flowers occurs before deep winter and then there is just a flush from time to time. P. subhirtella is the wild spring cherry which has been cultivated in Japan for centuries. Highly revered there, it is known to grow to ninety feet in height and some have up to a hundred foot spread. Ancient specimens are even believed to be 1800 years old. Our winter-flowering form only arrived in Britain just over a century ago and rarely reaches thirty feet in height although a fine specimen can be seen at Gorse Hill Manor, Virginia Water.
Towards the end of the month one or two other trees are starting to produce some flowers. Being wind-pollinated mostly, tree flowers are often dull and without any petals. Small yellow flowers can be seen developing on yew trees and in mild winters almond Prunus dulcis and magnolias Mimosa spp. may also be coaxed into flowering.
They produce attractive pink and lemon yellow flowers respectively. Persian ironwoods Parrotia persica may start to produce their small tufts of crimson flowers, even though the trees themselves are still losing leaves. This tree gets its English name from being a native of Iran and having virtually indestructible timber. Its genus name comes from a Herr Parrot who achieved stardom for being the first man to scale Mount Ararat since Noah.
