Frilly FrockTM

Frilly Frock is a small flowering cherry tree with a strongly weeping habit - the dense foliage trails to the ground, hiding the stem almost entirely.

An unusual feature of this pretty tree is the variegated leaves, which have a green centres - the effect is not noticeable when the leaves emerge in the spring but becomes more prominent over the summer.

The blossom is pale pink, and borne in profusion. In the autumn the leaves turn orange, red and gold.

We sometimes have "top-worked" forms of Frilly Frock, where the graft is at the top of a length of clear stem rather than at the bottom.  This accentuates the weeping habit and gives a "lollypop" effect while keeping the tree fairly small.  The mature height of these trees is usually not much taller than the graft height, so a 120cm top-worked tree will perhaps reach 130cm - 140cm in the longer term.

In short, Frilly Frock is an excellent choice for the smaller garden if you want a compact weeping tree with spring and autumn interest.

Growing and Training

Frilly Frock is sometimes classified in the species Prunus incisa, also known as the Fuji Cherry because they are found growing wild on the slopes of the famous Mt. Fuji volcano in Japan.

As you might expect, these small compact trees are very hardy and easy to grow.

They are also well-suited to growing in a patio container or planter. Feed the tree in early spring, and give it a medium-hard prune after flowering to maintain the size (this also helps maintain the variegation).

History

Frilly Frock was discovered and named in 2005 at the Frank P Matthews nursery in the west Midlands. It is a sport (natural bud mutation) of Prunus Snow Showers, distinguished from that variety by its characteristic variegated leaves.

Frilly Frock characteristics

• Gardening skillBeginner
• Country of originJapan

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