Illustration
Autumn Flowering Cherry
Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis'
Autumn Flowering Cherry blooms from March through April.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Autumn Flowering Cherry
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–8. Expect it to reach about 23 ft tall and 23 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 12 years (checked).
What was checked
Fifteen fields were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it, with every unsettled point written down and decided: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, soil, diseases, pests, toxicity, the plant's own names, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Autumn Flowering Cherry
Plant Autumn Flowering Cherry in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 5 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from March to April.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Autumn Flowering Cherry get?
23 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult23 ftwideSee Autumn Flowering Cherry in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Autumn Flowering Cherry
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Autumn Flowering Cherry about 23 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Autumn Flowering Cherry to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Autumn Flowering Cherry's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 9 published sources on September 11, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, trait tags, soil and diseases
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, years to mature size, soil, diseases and pests
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones, sun and bloom months and color
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight and bloom months and color
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxdiseases and pests
- ASPCAAnimal Poison Controltoxicity
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxwater
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Autumn Flowering Cherry
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Leaves, stems and seeds hold cyanogenic glycosides, toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Wilted or damaged foliage is the most dangerous, releasing cyanide. per ASPCA and NC State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.