Prunus padus Le Thoureil

Prunus padus Le Thoureil is a charming cluster cherry tree, selected by Minier nurseries for its generous flowering and its narrow and truly graceful habit. Its reddish-brown bark is decorative in winter, its arching branches are covered with white and fragrant flowers in early spring, then with small black cherries, which ripen in late summer. Excellent in a mixed hedge where it feeds bees and birds, this cherry tree also makes a beautiful tree to highlight when planted alone. Its moderate growth is suitable for medium-sized gardens.

Prunus padus belongs to the large family of Rosaceae.  It is native to Europe, northern Asia, and can be found in Japan as well. Its natural habitat corresponds to rather humid environments, where it grows spontaneously on clay and sometimes limestone soil, which is seasonally waterlogged. This shrub, which suckers when not grafted, naturally forms thickets, but it does not tolerate competition from other shrubs.

The cultivar 'Le Thoureil', obtained by Minier in 1998, has a more upright habit, less vigorous growth, and more numerous flower clusters. Grafted on a stem, it forms a single trunk and a narrow, semi-open, rather oval and bushy crown. At maturity, the tree will reach an average height of 7-8m (23-26ft) with a spread of 3-4m (10-13ft), depending on the growing conditions.

The bark of the trunk and older branches is reddish-brown with clear lenticels, while the twigs are redder. The branches emit a scent of bitter almond when broken. The leaves are deciduous in winter and fall at the end of the season. They are apple green in spring, turning dark green in summer, and are covered with numerous tufts of down on the undersides. They are ovate to obovate, finely dentate along the edges, and measure 6 to 15cm (2 to 6in) in length. The foliage takes on a beautiful yellow-golden colour in autumn before falling. Flowering occurs in April-May (sometimes in June) depending on the region, on branches already covered with young leaves. It takes the form of small white 5-petalled flowers, 1cm (1in) in diameter, with a delightful scent of bitter almond, arranged in pendulous clusters about 15cm (6in) long. Pollinated by insects, the nectar-rich flowers give way to small 'cherries' the size of peas, which ripen in July-August. These berries, with little flesh and large stones, have a bitter to sour and astringent taste and are sometimes used to make liqueurs, jellies, or jams. The harvest is uneven and varies in a cycle of 3 years.

The Le Thoureil cherry tree is very hardy and easy to grow, it will thrive in most regions, provided it has deep and damp soil for its roots to dive into. It can be planted in an open position, for example, alone or in a loosely planted group of trees. In a shrub border or mixed hedge, it can be combined with many spring-flowering shrubs and small trees, such as ornamental apple trees, flowering peach trees, Prunus mahaleb, quince trees, medlar trees, blackthorn, dogwoods, viburnums, Chinese almond tree, hawthorns... It can be pruned in winter to limit its size.