Prunus mume 'Beni-Chidori' (Japanese Apricot)

One of our colourful flowering trees, Prunus mume 'Beni-Chidori' is a small, round-headed tree with fragrant bright pink flowers in late winter or, more usually, early spring. This cultivar is of Japanese origin, but Prunus mume has been cultivated as an ornamental tree in China and Korea for over 1500 years.

The fruits of the original fruiting Chinese forms were eaten, usually having been preserved first by drying or salting, and then eaten as a vegetable.

The Japanese Apricot is perfectly hardy and is happy on a range of soils from sandy situations to heavier clay soils. It will tolerate light shade but tends to flower best in a a position with plenty of sun.

In some parts of the country, this plant can suffer from peach leaf curl which is a fungal disease that causes some deformation of the leaves. This can be treated by spraying with a systemic fungicide in autumn just before leaf fall and twice, two weeks apart, in late January and early February.

We suggest that in a typical garden it is planted by a path or in a lawn, somewhere sheltered from where the fragrance lingers and is best appreciated. Our Prunus mume 'Beni-Chidori' is planted in a cold exposed part of the arboretum and while it looks lovely when in flower, the delightful flower scent tends to be blown away on gusty spring days.