General Culture:

Best grown in moist, fertile, well-drained loams in full sun to part shade. Best flowering in full sun. Needs regular pruning to remove dead wood and to maintain attractive form.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Flowering almond is a dense, rounded, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows 10-15’ tall and as wide. It is sometimes grown as a small tree. Pink, five-petaled flowers appear in a profuse early spring bloom (April in St. Louis). Flowers may be followed by globose red fruit (1/2" diameter). Fruit is attractive to squirrels. Coarse, double-toothed, broad-ovate, medium green leaves (to 2.5” long) are often three lobed, hence the specific epithet. Foliage turns yellow in fall. Species plants are native to China, but may no longer exist in the wild. ‘Simplex’ is a single-flowered form that may be identical to the species. ‘Multiplex’ (see A928 herein) is a popular double-flowered form that does not produce fruit.

Problems:

Early spring flowers are susceptible to damage from frosts. It is susceptible to a large number of insect and disease problems. Potential diseases include leaf spot, die back, powdery mildew, cankers, black knot and verticillium wilt. Potential insects include aphids, scale, borers, caterpillars, tent caterpillars and Japanese beetles. Spider mites may also be troublesome.

Uses:

Ornamental flowering shrub or small tree. Specimen or small group. Effective near patios. May be trained as a standard.

© Missouri Botanical Garden, 2001-2009