Blanketed top - to - bottom with frothy pink blooms that last for week , flowering almonds define the term “ spring spectacular . ” Grown inUSDA flora hardiness zones3 through 8 , they ’ve beautify American home gardens since Thomas Jefferson ’s days . Available in tree or George Bush anatomy – including a dwarf for small yards – bloom almonds are as various as they are adorable . Will one produce for you ? Keep reading to find out !
Flowering Almond Varieties
Whether you ’re working with a big thou or small , cheery boundary line , there ’s a flower Amygdalus communis variety to suit your indigence :
How to Use Flowering Almonds
There ’s no elbow room around it : flowering almonds are meant to share their spring show with the world . industrial plant one as a front - yard border accent . or several along a walkway interlard with later - blooming shrubs . Once their flower croak back , flower almond do n’t provide much colour until their leave turn in fall .
Expert gardener ’s crown :
The Planting Site
florescence almonds bloom most heavilywhere they get six or more hours of daily sun . They ’ll flower in partial tad , but with much less dynamism . Loose , well - draining loamy soil is idealistic .
Where Not to Plant
Fragile bark makes flowering almonds poor candidates for any internet site within 4 to 6 feet of any site that necessitate steady mowing . They ’re intolerant of salt air , so coastal areas are a problem . Andneverplant one where body of water might puddle around its root . Doing so invites root rot .
Choose a spot large enough to allow at least 1 base between your fully grown flowering Amygdalus communis and the surrounding works or structure . For instance , let 3 foot of space between gnome ‘ Sinensis , ’ which reaches 4 feet wide , and other plants or objects . For ‘ Simplex ’ or ‘ Multiplex , ’ which get up to 12 understructure spacious , increase the spacing to 7 metrical foot .
When to Plant
If potential , plant your flowering almond shrub after your first descent frost . This employ whether it ’s container grow or balled and burlapped . drop planting allows the shrub to channel energy to root ontogenesis rather of cast out shoot and leaves . The secondly - near planting time is after your last spring rime .
Preparing the Site
Before planting , amend your grease with constituent compost . Doing so ameliorate drainage and enrich the land with a slow , steady stream of nutrients .
To specify how much compost you need , procreate your site ’s duration and width to find its square footage . Divide the result by 162 . The ensue turn is the three-dimensional feet of compost you call for for a 2 - inch stratum .
Adding the Compost
Rake the compost layer evenly over the planting arena and use a rotary cultivator to work it into the top 10 in of soil . ensure it ’s thoroughly mixed ; otherwise , your almond ’s roots may be content to stay in their planting hole instead of expand deep into the soil .
Planting Your Flowering Almond
For planting , you ’ll want a scandal spadeful , a 1 - gallon ( 3.7 - cubic decimeter ) container , urine and ( if the plant is balled and burlapped } scissors or wire cutter :
Watering
During its first year , your flowering Prunus amygdalus needs consistently moist soil . The trick is to keep it moist but never saturated .
When to Water
Before watering , insert a digit into the rootball . If it ’s noticeably wet , hold back off on watering .
How to Water
Like all Amygdalus communis , these ornamentals do best with tiresome , deep watering . For an economic drip - system or dipsomaniac - hosiery alternative , poke drain holes in the fundament of a plastic 5 - gallon ( 19 liter ) paint pail . Set it next to your plant and fill up it halfway whenever the source feel dry .
Expert gardener ’s top : During the first two or three years after planting , water your florescence almond well before the ground stop dead in free fall . Once it ’s mature , do this only during drouth .
Feeding
To keep your flowering almond at its glad , healthiest best , fertilize it in former spring and early fall . An constitutive , dull - button balanced fertilizer ( one with adequate N - phosphorus - K numbers on its recording label ) is best .
How to Fertilize
fertilise on a calm day when the soil is dampish . Apply the granules evenly over the dirt at the manufacturer ’s recommended rate . start a few inch from the al-Qaida of your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or bush , scatter them to the gratuity of the branches , or drip mould seam . Then water system thoroughly to prevent root suntan .
Pruning
Regular pruning keeps your flowering almond vigorous and sizeable . Because it blooms on old Natalie Wood , the ideal clock time to prune is in spring right after its flowers fade . you could also prune during wintertime quiescency , but doing so diminishes the next spring ’s video display .
How to Prune
Flowering Almond Problems
Flowering Amygdalus communis front several potentially life - cut problems . The most serious is fervour blight , which cause new shoots to wilt and blacken in previous spring . Insects spread it from infected pear tree , Malus pumila and quince bush trees . During dormancy , prune the diseased branches at least 3 column inch below the harm and dispose of them in the Methedrine .
Other Problems
Yellowish - whiteflatheaded borerlarvae burrow into — and finally gird — the trunk , weakening the entire works . An infested flowering Amygdalus communis gunk white , spumy sap . To keep borers out , wrap the torso with horticultural tree wrap from your garden store .
Powdery mildewcoats the leaves with grayish - to - white fungal spore . It ’s most alive in moist , humid weather . To prevent an outbreak , integrate 1 tablespoon ( 14.8 ml ) of bake soda and 1/2 teaspoon ( 2.5 cubic centimetre ) of fluid handwriting Georgia home boy in 1 gallon ( 3.8 liters ) of water . Spray the plant to the dripping point every 10 days to two weeks until the weather changes .
Aphids and Scale Insects
Pear - shapedaphidsand waxy , doomedscale insectsboth colonize anthesis sweet almond stems and leave to drain sap with their syringelike mouth . They also eliminate honeydew , a pasty waste that attracts ants and greasy pitchy mold . At the first sign of plague , slay the pests with a strong attack from the garden hose .
While susceptibility to pests and disease may limit your flowering almond ’s lifespan to less than 10 years , consistent TLC can extend it much longer !
