Japanese Apricotc Japanese Flowering Apricot Japanese Flowering Plum

Japanese flowering apricot is the earliest-blooming tree in the Puget Sound lowlands, opening flowers in February and sometimes January. That precocious bloom is the entire point and the entire problem. It blooms on old wood, so pruning happens after flowering. The disease load is staggering: 76 documented diseases, the highest of any tree we track. Silver leaf enters through pruning wounds within a week of cutting; bacterial canker thrives in wet weather; brown rot takes the flowers in rain. The practical reality is that this is an ornamental tree, not a production tree. Accept cosmetic damage, prune only in dry weather, sterilize tools, and enjoy the February flowers. If you need a tree that blooms before anything else and you are willing to tolerate the disease list, prunus mume delivers. If you want a low-maintenance flowering tree, look elsewhere.

— Chris Welch, ISA Certified Arborist