Prunus, Japanese Flowering Apricot 'Peggy Clarke'

Flower Color: rose-pink
Form: deciduous tree
Hardiness Zone: 7-10
Height: 15-20'
Soil: well-drained soil
...Read More/> Sun: full sun
Uses: culinary (fruits* and flowers),
medicinal, ornamental
"A favorite tree in the National Herb Garden, its small stature, wonderful flowers, and useful fruit make the Japanese apricot a must for almost any garden. It blooms when one least expects – in the middle of winter. I have been at the National Arboretum 12 winters and in those years the earliest it bloomed was the week before Christmas and the latest was the last week in February. The flowers are damaged if temperatures drop into the teens; this has happened twice in the last 12 years.

There are several cultivars of Prunus mume, ranging from white to pink in single and double forms, but Peggy Clarke' is my favorite. The rich, bright, rose-pink flowers are fully double and brighten up a gray winter day like nothing else I know. They are very fragrant and make wonderful cut flowers when there is nothing else to cut from the garden. The flower petals can be dried to make a delicious tea. The fruits, though not very sweet or pleasant on their own, are useful in preserves. While green they can be either sugared or pickled or, when ripe, used to make apricot brandy or jam.

Native to China and Japan, Prunus mume grows slowly to 15 or 20 feet tall with a rounded canopy. It thrives in any well-drained garden soil but flowers best in full sun. I have seen the plant growing in zone 6 where it will flower given some protection, but flowering is more reliable in warmer areas."

– James Adams, Curator of the National Herb Garden, Promising Plants Presentation, 2004