Dwarf flowering almond
Prunus glandulosa 'Rosea Plena' · Rosaceae
Slender, upright stems are wrapped from top to bottom in double, pink pompom flowers in spring, before the leaves.
- Size
- 4½ ft tall, 4½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late April to early May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around dwarf flowering almond
The planner designed this bed around dwarf flowering almond when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf flowering almond stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf flowering almond × 1, pink
- 2 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 4, purple
- 3 Winter heath × 12, white
- 4 Southernwood × 3, grey-green leaves
- 5 Sweet coneflower 'Henry Eilers' × 3, yellow
- 6 Purple milkweed × 8, purple
- 7 Asiatic lily × 5, orange
- 8 Hardy gladiolus × 5, pink
- 9 Tulip × 10, red
Why this plant
- The only globes. The others are dense clusters, bells, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for tulip. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does winter heath.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4½ ft it is among the tallest plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to southernwood (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for three weeks. From late April to early May.
- In company. With tulip in late April: 2 kinds at once.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 8 groups (75%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowers run from late January to early October: 37 weeks in all. Verbena 'Homestead Purple' flowers longest, for 21 weeks.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf flowering almond goes in a border
At 4½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
A small, old-fashioned shrub with one glorious fortnight. Cut the stems back hard after flowering to keep it dense, and place it where summer plants will draw the eye later.
- A burst of pink in spring
- Small gardens
- Cut branches
What to plant with dwarf flowering almond
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Tulip: in flower together for three weeks, from late April; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Daffodil: in flower together for three weeks, from late April; low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid May; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about dwarf flowering almond
Does dwarf flowering almond need sun or shade?
Dwarf flowering almond grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does dwarf flowering almond grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does dwarf flowering almond flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late April to early May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 4 | Early May to mid May |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to late April |
| Zone 8 | Early April to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should dwarf flowering almond be planted?
3½ ft (110 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 4½ ft (130 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4½ ft (130 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf flowering almond plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 3 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf flowering almond poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The leaves, stems and seeds can release cyanide if chewed.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like dwarf flowering almond?
These come closest to doing what dwarf flowering almond does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Koreanspice viburnum: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 8 in taller, 4 in wider.
- English rose 'Gertrude Jekyll': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 8 in taller, 4 in narrower.
- Weigela 'Sonic Bloom Pink': the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers late May to mid September.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat dwarf flowering almond?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after dwarf flowering almond?
Dwarf flowering almond is over by early May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': from mid May to mid September, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Lupine: from late May to early July, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Peony: from late May to late June, 3 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does dwarf flowering almond look like in winter?
Dwarf flowering almond drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is dwarf flowering almond good for bees and butterflies?
Dwarf flowering almond is visited by pollinators and butterflies.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of eastern tiger swallowtail feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
More Prunus
- Cherry laurel 'Otto Luyken' Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken'
- Purple leaf sand cherry Prunus x cistena
- Schip laurel Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis'
In these guides
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Plants for butterflies
- Host plants for the eastern tiger swallowtail
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4½ ft (130 cm) tall, 4½ ft (130 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (110 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late April to early May; globes; pink
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Comes from
- Central & Southern China to Korea
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies
- Host plant for
- Eastern tiger swallowtail
Checked against NC State Extension, ASPCA poison lists and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.