Prunus mume ‘Dawn’ Grafted Tree – Live Plant, 2-3 Feet Tall, 3 Gallon Pot

Overview

Introduce a touch of early spring beauty to your landscape with the exquisite Prunus mume Dawn tree. This stunning variety of Japanese flowering apricot is celebrated for its abundant, fragrant pink blossoms that emerge before many other plants, signaling the end of winter. Beyond its captivating floral display, this deciduous tree also produces charming yellow fruit, adding another layer of interest to your garden. Our Prunus mume Dawn tree is a live, grafted specimen, ensuring robust growth and true-to-type characteristics. Standing 2 to 3 feet tall and shipped in a 3-gallon pot, it arrives ready to establish itself in your garden, promising years of visual delight and a delightful aromatic presence.

The Prunus mume Dawn tree is a broadleaf deciduous tree, meaning it will shed its leaves in the fall, offering seasonal variation. Its graceful form and early bloom make it an excellent focal point, whether planted as a standalone specimen or integrated into a mixed border. This particular cultivar, ‘Dawn’, is prized for its specific pink flower hue and reliable fruit production, making it a desirable choice for both ornamental and edible landscapes. If you’re looking for a distinctive and rewarding ornamental garden tree, the ‘Dawn’ variety of Prunus mume is an exceptional selection.

Key Benefits

The Prunus mume Dawn tree offers a multitude of benefits for any garden, combining aesthetic appeal with practical advantages:

• Early Spring Blooms: One of the first trees to flower, its vibrant pink blossoms provide a much-needed splash of color and fragrance when the rest of the garden is still waking up from winter. This makes it a cherished herald of spring.
• Fragrant Flowers: The beautiful pink flowers are not just visually appealing; they also emit a delightful, sweet fragrance that can perfume your garden and attract early pollinators, enhancing the sensory experience of your outdoor space.
• Attractive Yellow Fruit: Following the spring blooms, the tree produces small, ornamental yellow fruit that adds interest and can be used in traditional Asian cuisines or for making preserves, offering a harvestable bonus.
• Year-Round Interest: From early spring flowers to summer foliage, fall color, and the intricate branch structure in winter, the Japanese flowering apricot provides visual appeal throughout the seasons, making it a dynamic addition to your landscape.
• Grafted for Vigor: This grafted fruit tree is cultivated to ensure strong growth, disease resistance, and reliable flowering and fruiting, offering a superior and more predictable performance compared to seed-grown plants.
• Moderate Size: Reaching a manageable height, the Prunus mume Dawn tree is suitable for various garden sizes, from small urban spaces to larger suburban yards, without overwhelming the landscape.
• Drought Tolerance: Once established, this tree shows good tolerance to periods of drought, making it a relatively low-maintenance option for gardeners seeking resilient plants.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Prunus mume Dawn tree is straightforward, ensuring a healthy and vibrant display for years to come. This tree thrives in full sun, meaning it requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce the most abundant flowers and fruit. While it can tolerate some partial shade, flowering may be reduced. Ensure it receives even moisture, especially during its establishment period and during dry spells. Regular watering is key to its health, but avoid waterlogging the soil.

The ideal soil for this pink flowering tree is well-drained and rich in organic matter. Heavy clay soils should be amended with compost or other organic materials to improve drainage and aeration. A slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0) is generally preferred. When planting, dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Gently loosen the roots before placing the tree, ensuring the graft union remains above the soil line. Backfill with amended soil, tamp gently to remove air pockets, and water thoroughly.

Fertilize your Japanese flowering apricot in early spring before new growth begins, using a balanced slow-release fertilizer or one formulated for flowering trees. Pruning should be done after flowering to shape the tree, remove any dead or crossing branches, and encourage good air circulation. This helps maintain the tree’s health and promotes future blooms. The Prunus mume Dawn tree is generally hardy in USDA zones 6-9, tolerating a range of winter temperatures. Protect young trees from severe frost if you are at the colder end of its hardiness range. Watch out for common pests like aphids and scale, and treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap if necessary.

Size & Details

This Prunus mume Dawn tree is a live, grafted specimen, meticulously cultivated to ensure superior performance and reliable characteristics. Upon arrival, the tree will measure approximately 2 to 3 feet tall, providing a substantial start for your garden. It is carefully shipped in a 3-gallon nursery pot, complete with its root system and soil, minimizing transplant shock and promoting immediate growth. The grafting process ensures that you receive a tree with the desirable traits of the ‘Dawn’ cultivar, including its specific pink flower color and fruit production. This grafted fruit tree has a moderate growth rate, typically adding 12-24 inches in height per year under optimal conditions, allowing it to reach its mature size over several years.

Mature ‘Dawn’ trees can reach heights of 15-20 feet with a similar spread, forming a beautiful, rounded canopy. Expect the first fragrant pink flowering tree blooms in early spring, often in late winter in warmer climates, followed by the development of small, yellow fruit in late summer. The tree’s structure and early blooming habit make it an excellent choice for a specimen plant, providing a focal point in the garden. This ornamental garden tree is ready to be planted directly into your landscape or a larger container, allowing it to flourish and bring its unique charm to your outdoor space.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Prunus mume Dawn tree get? A: This particular tree is 2 to 3 feet tall when shipped. Mature Prunus mume Dawn tree specimens typically reach heights of 15-20 feet with a similar spread, forming an attractive, rounded canopy over time.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The tree is shipped in a 3-gallon nursery pot, ensuring its root system is well-established and ready for transplanting into your garden or a larger container.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Prunus mume Dawn tree is an outdoor plant, best suited for planting in gardens and landscapes where it can receive adequate sunlight and space to grow. It is not recommended for indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This Japanese flowering apricot thrives in full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to ensure the best possible flowering and fruit production.
• Q: Is this tree easy to care for? A: Yes, once established, the Prunus mume Dawn tree is relatively easy to care for. It primarily needs well-draining soil, consistent moisture, and full sun. Pruning after flowering helps maintain its shape and health.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your grafted fruit tree will arrive as a live plant, carefully packed in its 3-gallon pot with soil. We take great care to ensure it reaches you in excellent condition, ready for planting.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this ornamental garden tree? A: The best time to plant your ornamental garden tree is in early spring or fall, allowing the roots to establish before extreme summer heat or winter cold. However, container-grown plants can often be planted successfully throughout the growing season.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Prunus mume Dawn tree is hardy in USDA Zones 6-9. If you are within these zones, it should successfully tolerate winter conditions. In colder parts of Zone 6, some winter protection for young trees might be beneficial.
• Q: Does this tree produce edible fruit? A: Yes, the Prunus mume Dawn tree produces small yellow fruit. While often used for ornamental value, the fruit is traditionally used in Asian cuisine for pickling, jams, and other preserves. It is not typically eaten fresh due to its tartness.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: As a grafted tree, it should be mature enough to produce its beautiful pink flowering tree blooms in the very first spring after planting, or certainly within a year or two, depending on planting time and care.