How to Decorate Your Yard With Cherry Trees

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The difference between an ordinary cherry tree and a decorative one is that the decorative varieties do not bear fruit. This means that no rotten fruit falls to the ground and your grounds also attract less furry creatures and birds.

Decorative cherry trees are used in yards simply because they are so beautiful. Every spring they shoot out and snow an array of beautiful pink blossoms.

Here are some examples of common types of Cherry Trees that are perfect for decorating yards.

The Kwanzan Cherry trees are large hardy trees that grow over forty feet tall. The blossoms are a strong dark pink color and grow in clusters. The tree will blossom both in April and in the Fall. The tree grows just fine in USDA Hardiness zones from 4 to 9. It thrives in almost any soil.

The Okame Cherry Tree variety grows as tall as it is wide; thirty feet in height and thirty feet in spread. It’s pink blossoms are famous as part of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. It grows in most soils but needs full sun to do it’s best.

The Snow Fountain Weeping Cherry a dwarf variety of cherry tree that grows up to fifteen feet tall and has a spread of about eight fee. The tree grows long, downwards tilting branches that are slathered in small white flowers in the spring. The tree grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zones 4 through 8. This versatile smaller tree resists pests, but it also grows very slowly.

The Yoshino Cherry Tree is a traditional Japanese variety that grows up to fifty feet tall and forty feet wide. It has glossy bark, dark green leaves and light pink flowers and it does best in well-drained soils. It does best in USDA zones 5 to 8.

The Weeping Higan Cherry grows to be 300 feet tall with a branch-spread of 25 feet. It spews forth pale pink blossoms in the Spring before the tree even has a chance to grow leaves. The flowers grow up to one inch in diameter. The tree is okay to grow in shade and grows in Hardiness zones 5a to 8b. This tree also grows very fast.

The good news is that these trees come in a variety of sizes and there is a variety to suit every kind of climate. This makes it a versatile decorative tree to grow in any garden.

How to Decorate Desserts With Maraschino Cherries

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Most people see maraschino cherries as being a bit toxic but the point is that they are fun and usually used for decoration. The bright red color comes from food coloring and then being soaked in a sugar syrup. You can get Queen Anne cherries or sour cherries that are healthier but part of the joy of using these cherries is their neon red color. In the old days they were much healthier as they were soaked in maraschino liquor. Nowadays they are soaked in a salt broth.

The desert that the maraschino cherry is commonly found on is on top of a Black Forest Cake. This is a cake made of chocolate and cherry syrup that also has chocolate icing. Usually there is a whipped cream dollop and a maraschino cherry overlaying each serving.

Another popular decorative culinary use of the maraschino cherry is as a decoration for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. In this case the batter for the cake is made and then the pineapple rings and they are placed on top. The cherries are placed in the center of the pineapple rings. When the Pineapple Upside Down Cake bakes the fruit sinks to the bottom of the pan. When the cake is done the pan is turned over and the pineapple rings with the cherries in the center are revealed.

Maraschino cherries are also used to decorate a very special Mexican dessert that involves slicing a tres leche cake into even squares. The cake is soaked condensed milk and heavy cream until it is very dense. Then the cake is frosted with whipped cream and topped with a maraschino cherry.

Maraschino cherries are also used on top of whipped creamed points on Jell-o and puddings. It is common to find a maraschino cherry topping fruit cakes in various designs. Maraschino cherries are also typically used as the crowning glory on top of whipped cream mounds on chocolate sundaes.

Maraschino cherries are also used in cake and pastry decorating whenever a rich, red shiny effect is needed. For instance, if you are making a cake that is meant to symbolize Santa’s Hat you can use maraschino cherry slices as the red coloring for the hat.

A word to the unwise! Before you top a cake with a maraschino cherry it is a really good idea to drain it of excess liquid. Too much liquid in a cherry can drain into the cake and cause it to “bleed” and look discolored.