One of my favorite small trees is the Prunus mume or Japanese flowering apricot. This is one of the earliest flowering trees, budding out before leaves appear and sometimes while snow is still on the ground. The yellow to green 1 to 3 inch fruits resemble an apricot but are inedible unless pickled, made in to the traditional Chinese plum sauce or plum wine. The flowers are double, white, pink or red, are fragrant and can be used as a tea. The Japanese flowering apricot usually has a rounded to oval crown, and grows 10 to 20 feet with an equal spread. As they age, the branches and trunk take on a gnarled appearance. Prunus mume is an iconic tree in Japan and China but in the US they are rarely seen outside of Japanese gardens. There are a ton of cultivars, including my favorites, Prunus mume 'Contorta' which has wildly twisted branches and Prunus mume 'Kobai' which has really nice red semi-double flowers. If you have room in your garden for small tree that puts on an show early in spring you can’t go wrong with this great little tree.
Prunus mume quick facts
Overall Shape - rounded, dense, twiggy growth variable with cultivar
Height - 10-20'
Spread - equal
Growth Rate - rapid
Exposure - sun to partial shade
Soil - sandy loam to some clay
Hardiness - zones 6-9
Flowers - single or double, white, pink or red; flowers in late winter early spring; fragrant and edible as a tea
Flowers - single or double, white, pink or red; flowers in late winter early spring; fragrant and edible as a tea
Fruit - yellow to green, 1" to 3" fruit is edible if pickled
