Which Bloomin' Blossom Is It? Our Guide To Blossom Timing

Now is the time to relish the beautiful blossoms all around us in our parks, streets, orchards and gardens, just as our pollinators will be! Here’s our useful guide to which fruit trees blossom when.

Blossom season spans several months

One of the lovely things about fruit tree blossom is that different species, and different varieties, bloom at different times, creating a season that extends from February until May. The timings below will vary by several weeks depending on each year’s weather patterns, and what part of the country you live in, but hopefully this overview will help you start to identify your blossom (N.B. the timeframes below are for the south east, where our blog author is based).

• Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera) – February to March (there are three varieties, pink Nigra is the latest to flower)
• Almond – February
• Apricot – early March
• Sloe (Blackthorn) – early March
• Plum – March
• Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium) – early April
• Pear – April
• Apple – April and May
• Quince – mid May
• Medlar – mid to late May

Flowering cherry trees

We couldn’t possibly forget the ornamental cherry trees, cultivated in Japan, which do not produce fruit, but do produce gorgeous blossom from winter through to late spring. There are dozens of different varieties, including the small delicate pink flowers of Prunus Okame which blooms in late January, the large frothy white petals of Taihaku in March, and the hot pink pom-poms of Kanzan in early April.

Many people get confused when they see cherry blossom in the winter and think, “this is climate change gone mad!” While it is true that warmer winters are causing many plants to flower earlier, there is actually a winter flowering cherry tree – Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis – which has been cultivated to bloom as early as November.

Vital for wildlife

Early flowering trees are particularly important for queen bumble bees who have been hibernating (already pregnant) over the winter, and emerge in late winter and early spring. They need flower nectar to give them enough energy to look for a suitable nest site to lay their eggs. Early flowering fruit trees (along with other early flowering shrubs and flowers) are just the ticket. (That said, the double flowering ornamental cherry trees are not suitable for the bees: too many petals blocking the bee’s path to the nectar!)

Let’s celebrate blossom season

The UK Orchard Network holds an annual Orchard Blossom Day on the last Friday in April to celebrate the wonderful fruit tree blossoms found in traditional orchards. But you can hold your event whenever your orchard is at peak blossom!

If you have any photos of blossom from your garden, orchard or neighbourhood walks, please do share them with us on social media. Use the hashtags #BlossomWatch #BlossomDay and #OrchardsEverywhere and tag us on Facebook (@WeAreTheOrchardProject) or Instagram (@theorchardproject) or BlueSky (@theorchardproject.bsky.social)

 by Stephanie Irvine, Joint Head of Operations and Programmes