A spring-blooming shrub, flowering almond is a reliable performer with pink double blossoms. Sometimes the flowers are followed by small round red fruit coveted by squirrels. This shrub, which can grow 10 to 15 feet tall, is also a good companion for late-spring flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils. If you prefer a smaller shrub, choose the dwarf flowering almond (Prunus glandulosa) with pink or white flowers that grows only 4 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide.
Flowering Almond Overview
Exceptionally cold hardy in Zones 3-7, and one of the first shrubs to bloom in spring, the flowering almond is an excellent addition to shrub borders and low-maintenance landscapes. This small deciduous shrub blooms in early spring, when daffodils and early tulips open.
Where to Plant Flowering Almond
Flowering almonds will bloom most abundantly when it's planted where they'll get six or more hours of sun each day. They'll do well in partial shade as long as they get four hours a day of direct sunlight. They are attractive when planted in shrub borders or as informal hedges, specimen plants, or accent plants.
How and When to Plant Flowering Almond
Plant flowering almonds in spring. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball. The hole shouldn't be deeper than the size of the root ball. Rough the texture of the ground at the bottom of the hole so the roots absorb more water. Create a ridge 3 inches high around the trunk to keep the water from flowing away. Water deeply when first planting. Add mulch to keep moisture in the soil.
Keep a 6-foot diameter area free of grass to reduce the risk of damaging the soft bark while mowing.
Flowering Almond Care Tips
Flowering almonds can be challenging to care for because they can be plagued by pests, but with attention and care they can live up to ten years.
Light
Though it can grow in part shade, flowering almond grows best in full sun.
Soil and Water
Plant flowering almond in moist, well-drained loam with a slight to medium alkaline pH of 7-8.5. It tolerates various soil conditions, although its flowering may be compromised in excessively dry or wet soil. Water regularly during the first growing season, around 5 gallons per week per shrub. Cover the soil around the plant with a 2-inch-thick layer of shredded mulch to prevent soil-moisture loss.
Temperature and Humidity
Flowering almond, hardy in Zones 3-7, is good to grow in regions where winter temperatures go below freezing. It survives low temperatures without any additional care. If it's very hot in your region, be sure to provide some shade.
Fertilizer
Hold off on fertilizing flowering almonds for the first two years after planting. After that, feed it with a slow-acting granular all-purpose fertilizer in the early spring.
Pruning
Prune this shrub in late spring, right after it finishes flowering, to keep it looking well-maintained. It can be sculpted into a specific shape with proper pruning and training. Cut dead twigs off at the base of the plant and shear back live twigs to create the desired plant size and shape. Light pruning often helps promote better flowering the following year.
Potting and Repotting Flowering Almond
Since flowering almond is a large and wide shrub, it's best to plant it in the ground to give it plenty of room to grow. The dwarf flowering almond (Prunus glandulosa) is much better suited for container growing. You'll need a very large (at least 1 foot in diameter) container with good drainage. Prepare the soil as you would the soil in the ground. Like all container plants, it will need additional watering to compensate for the evaporation and drainage.
Pests and Problems
This shrub is susceptible to numerous problems. Watch for potential diseases like black knot, cankers, die back, leaf spot, powdery mildew, and verticillium wilt, as well as troubling insects like aphids, borers, caterpillars, Japanese beetles, scale, and spider mites.
How to Propagate Flowering Almond
Trim a 12- to 16-inch mature section of the flowering almond, but don't trim the connecting shoot. from the plant. Trim the bark from 1 inch of it, and tear off leaves from the bottom portion. Put the trimmed end in rooting hormone and place it in a pot of soil. In about six to eight weeks, your cutting should be ready for planting.
Planting flowering almond from seed is a long and difficult process, and the shrub won't begin to bloom for at least three years.
Companion Plants for Flowering Almond
Count on easy-care flowering almond when planting a shrub border or wildlife planting.
Hydrangea
Hydrangeas can flourish in sun or shade. Huge bouquets of hydrangea flowers add beauty indoors and out from summer to fall. Varieties of hydrangea differ in size, flower shape, color, and bloom time. Zones 3-9
Beautyberry
Beautyberry's small flowers are held in tight clusters near the stems, a display that adds subtle charm to the garden in early summer. It has green leaves all season. Zones 5-8
Viburnum
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
Whether you plant them for their colorful berries, showy flowers, wonderful fragrance, or brilliant foliage and stem color, viburnum adds a lot to your garden. Zones 2-9
Weigela
Perennial weigela comes in many sizes with red or pink blooms, and newer varieties are available in white and yellow. Zones 4-9
Ninebark
Their fast growing habit and appealing winter bark make these pink and white flowering shrubs garden favorites. Zones 3-7
Bluebeard
Also called blue mist spirea, this deciduous shrub features long, graceful stems covered in small leaves. Those stems are loaded with blossoms at every leaf section when it is at peak bloom, which draws butterflies and bumblebees. Zones 4-8
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does flowering almond attract wildlife?Flowering almond's dense, thicket-like growing habit makes it an excellent habitat plant for wildlife. Place it alongside plants that produce berries that are popular with birds in your region to create a backyard oasis for winged visitors. Add a water source, such as a simple birdbath or fountain, and enjoy the songbirds.
Flowering almond's dense, thicket-like growing habit makes it an excellent habitat plant for wildlife. Place it alongside plants that produce berries that are popular with birds in your region to create a backyard oasis for winged visitors. Add a water source, such as a simple birdbath or fountain, and enjoy the songbirds.
- Does flowering almond produce edible almonds?No, flowering almonds have beautiful flowers, but no edible nuts or fruit.
No, flowering almonds have beautiful flowers, but no edible nuts or fruit.