Western Sand Cherry (Prunus besseyi)

GSCarlson

Shohin
Messages
336
Reaction score
875
Location
Longmont, Colorado
USDA Zone
5b
Out of 30 or so, I thought this plant had some potential. In the spring I plan to airlayer the tall skinny portion for a bunjin, and I can see the base being a possible sumo.
DSCF8631.jpg
DSCF8630.jpg
DSCF8628.jpg
 

Mike Toy

Seedling
Messages
12
Reaction score
17
Out of 30 or so, I thought this plant had some potential. In the spring I plan to airlayer the tall skinny portion for a bunjin, and I can see the base being a possible sumo.
View attachment 157007
View attachment 157008
View attachment 157009

I bought one last spring and it turned out to be one of the best additions to my collection! I think I paid about $5 for it at a box store. Here are some pictures of mine. Ill be doing a trim this winter so I'll try to post more pics then.Snapchat-2056716209.jpg Snapchat-779458191.jpg Snapchat-779458191.jpg Snapchat-1913612739.jpg Snapchat-574815040.jpg
 

GSCarlson

Shohin
Messages
336
Reaction score
875
Location
Longmont, Colorado
USDA Zone
5b
I bought one last spring and it turned out to be one of the best additions to my collection! I think I paid about $5 for it at a box store. Here are some pictures of mine. Ill be doing a trim this winter so I'll try to post more pics then.View attachment 164693 View attachment 164694 View attachment 164694 View attachment 164695 View attachment 164696

I was looking for a species native to Colorado, and the Western Sand Cherry, with small leaves and thick trunk, jumped out at me at the nursery. I'm seeing them around a lot as landscape ornamental, now that I am familiar with them. At a church across the street, they have many Creeping Sand Cherries, also known as Pawnee Buttes Sand Cherry. Next time I go to Pawnee Buttes National Grasslands in north-east Colorado I will have to look for them.
Yours looks very nice. I wonder if you will get blossoms this next spring.
They have nice autumn colors. Mine was bright orange and red a week ago.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
I was looking for a species native to Colorado, and the Western Sand Cherry, with small leaves and thick trunk, jumped out at me at the nursery. I'm seeing them around a lot as landscape ornamental, now that I am familiar with them. At a church across the street, they have many Creeping Sand Cherries, also known as Pawnee Buttes Sand Cherry. Next time I go to Pawnee Buttes National Grasslands in north-east Colorado I will have to look for them.
Yours looks very nice. I wonder if you will get blossoms this next spring.
They have nice autumn colors. Mine was bright orange and red a week ago.

What is good about using locally native species, they will take your climate. Cherries in general are good. I had issues with non-native cherries, blooms always getting killed by late freezes. Your trunk has potential. I like it.

@Mike Toy - Enjoy it a season or two in that pot. I would consider putting back into the ground, or into a large 5 or 10 gallon nursery pot for a few years to let a sacrifice branch or two escape, and grow out to 5 or more feet to thicken the trunk, Then after the trunk has thickened, you can reduce it back to the size it currently is, to fit in its current pot. Right now the trunk and the branches are almost the same thickness, which projects the image of a bush rather than a tree.

However, leave it in its current pot, and see if it will bloom for you in spring, Nothing wrong with enjoying it for a year or two before getting to the serious work of growing a thicker trunk,
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
I would have left more branches of the tree there, to continue to thicken your trunk diameter. If it were mine, I would let the tree grow a couple more years to get bushy and pop back buds on your 2 trunks, so that in a couple years you would have many more branches to choose from for my trunk line. From the 2 photos, I think the possible trunks you have left are at awkward angles. But that is my taste, and I am looking only at the 2 photos, your choice might be the better route.
 

Colorado

Masterpiece
Messages
3,106
Reaction score
8,231
Location
Golden, Colorado
USDA Zone
5b
I’ve seen many of these growing on the rocky mesas and canyons of southeastern Colorado. Beautiful little “trees” if you ask me.

Yours looks nice, I’m going to have to pick one of these up!
 

Hartinez

Masterpiece
Messages
4,149
Reaction score
13,015
Location
Albuquerque, NM
USDA Zone
7
Hey @Leo in N E Illinois , @GSCarlson and anyone else that can chime in with knowledge. I picked up a little prunus bessyi today for $12. At least that’s what it was labeled. I really liked the leaf size and flowers. Trunk has good movement and the root spread is good also. I’d like to grow this one out for several years before styling to add girth to the trunk. As it sits though, the branching is a bit wonky and before I grow it out I’d like to simplify the branch structure so I don’t get swelling and inverse taper. You can see that it’s got good movement and also has some decent buds and branch options down low. But as you go up the plant there are several worls or groups of branches. Based on the pics, how aggressive do you think I could be right now, in terms of repot and branch selection? Side note. I’m in a rental so planting in the ground is not an option. I do have several pond baskets and Anderson flats.
77C8366D-8113-4682-9799-DDE2D9363700.jpeg
C0FB1939-23DC-4836-9F58-E13EFDDCF240.jpegF29A25DE-4720-4179-91BD-C21A3E739F29.jpeg
DA7327AD-C87F-4E19-A3AF-64E8C5E73E6C.jpeg

here are the worls of branches I mentioned.
5B3AC8A1-F799-4831-A1E0-0F7337CCE3F7.jpeg6B61BDF1-0C2C-4E01-B8AF-4D0931702DF2.jpeg
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
Messages
32,908
Reaction score
45,579
Location
Berwyn, Il
USDA Zone
6.2
it sits though, the branching is a bit wonky and before I grow it out I’d like to simplify the branch structure

You could probably go hard, but all you have to do is prevent that mess down low. So I would just remove what is becoming that mess in your keeper section and let the top grow.

Sorce
 

Hartinez

Masterpiece
Messages
4,149
Reaction score
13,015
Location
Albuquerque, NM
USDA Zone
7
You could probably go hard, but all you have to do is prevent that mess down low. So I would just remove what is becoming that mess in your keeper section and let the top grow.

Sorce
Makes sense. But I went about it a bit different. Here’s what I did. I didn’t want to leave both thick trunk leaders. I wanted to start the healing process on that cut now rather than use both leaders for growth. I cut the trunk at the red line. I left all of the buds and growth down low and most of what’s at the op of the trunk I did leave. I’m hoping I get a bud to pop along the blue section. If I don’t I will chop heavier above the blue section. I also cut a few of the larger roots that were circling the nursery pot. I chopsticked some good substrate in and around the football for aeration. I’ll basically let things grow unimpeded for the year. Hoping it pushes through the year. I’ll address the rootball more next year.
37BDF881-7F8B-41E2-BA42-8BED56B58422.jpeg
437669AE-BD9C-4ADC-BB8B-3AA7182B409C.jpegas you’ve seen with past work of mine Sorce. I can be a bit heavy handed. I’m trying to lighten my touch a bit.
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
Messages
32,908
Reaction score
45,579
Location
Berwyn, Il
USDA Zone
6.2
as you’ve seen with past work of mine Sorce. I can be a bit heavy handed

Nah! Lol!

I would just remove that one inner bend bud.

This is a dope little nugget!

Sorce
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
Messages
32,908
Reaction score
45,579
Location
Berwyn, Il
USDA Zone
6.2
Oh BTW.... @Hartinez ....

You WILL be able to make those images you been getting to live. Something about "seeing" those images without going to them so fast.

Truth....it's just a phase. A necessary one.

I can't wait for you to find the escape hole though!

Sorce
 

Leo in N E Illinois

The Professor
Messages
11,337
Reaction score
23,254
Location
on the IL-WI border, a mile from ''da Lake''
USDA Zone
5b
I like your plan for the trunk. I have no hands on experience with sand cherry. Its current botanical name is Prunus pumila var besseyi, the Western sand cherry. I have seen Prunus pumila var pumila, the Great Lakes sand cherry, growing a mile from my home in the sand dunes of Illinois Beach State Park. It is a pretty species.

My only advice would be to remove, or cut off, any sprouts that come from the roots or too low on the trunk. It is a shrubby plant in the dunes, it keeps sending up shoots from the roots and "walks" along the dune. The dunes are still moving, so this ability to walk by sending up shoots, or runners from the roots makes sense. I don't know if this trait will be as strong in the Western sand cherry sub-species of the sand cherry.

I also did not see any sand cherries with trunks greater than an inch or two diameter. They stayed pretty shrubby. So "think small" for your cherry, I would guess getting a trunk caliper greater than 2 inches in diameter would take more time than say a crab apple.

THey seem hardy, they it should do well for you.
 

COclimber89

Seedling
Messages
15
Reaction score
16
Hey @GSCarlson and @Hartinez, how are your trees doing? I just picked one up as well. Same whorl issues Hartinez has/had, would it be stupid to prune some branches off now?
 
Top Bottom