Where do cherry blossoms generally grow best in the US? (where to buy, university)

[Mini-apple-less]

It seems like they do best in places with relatively mild (though still somewhat cold) winters like Washington DC and the Pacific Northwest, and places where summers are moderately hot and humid but not insanely hot. Japan also have a similar temperature band to the PNW and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Where does it become too cold to grow ornamental cherry trees? I've heard that they won't grow in Minneapolis because the springs are still way too cold.

[bus man]

I don't know what the weather requirements are, but you are correct that they do indeed flourish in Washington, DC and also in Central Maryland.

[NowInWI]

https://www.google.com/search?q=door...IVQySsCh2v5QDq

Door County, WI is known for their cherry trees....the kind that produce cherries, not just ornamental.

[lammius]

Japanese flowering cherries thrive in USDA zones 5-8, or most of the U.S.

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeG...endly.cfm?ID=9

[JerseyGirl415]

Newark's Branch Brook Park is known for its cherry blossoms in the spring and there is a festival every April. It has the largest collection of cherry blossom trees in the US. I know that Newark isn't as cool as Washington, DC, which is definitely more known for cherry blossoms, but Newark's collection is larger and worth noting.

Branch Brook Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Branch Brook Park | Parks | Essex County Parks

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by lammius

Japanese flowering cherries thrive in USDA zones 5-8, or most of the U.S.

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeG...endly.cfm?ID=9

If 5-8 is their normal range, I wonder if the ones here in Oregon will soon die, because the Willamette Valley borders upon 9.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Mini-apple-less

If 5-8 is their normal range, I wonder if the ones here in Oregon will soon die, because the Willamette Valley borders upon 9.

According to this article, most of the area is zone 6.

OSU horticulturist demystifies climate zones | Oregon State University Extension Service | Gardening

[Syringaloid]

SW Idaho, west of Boise is a fruit growing region including cherries.

•Idaho ranks 5th in the nation in sweet cherry production.
source: Local Cherries | Where To Buy & Recipes | Idaho Preferred

[lammius]

Indeed there are other varieties of cherry that thrive in other zones. The 5-8 range applies to "Yoshino Japanese flowering cherry"

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by NowInWI

https://www.google.com/search?q=door...IVQySsCh2v5QDq

Door County, WI is known for their cherry trees....the kind that produce cherries, not just ornamental.

Yup, grew up there, and it was cherry central. Cherry wine, dried cherries, pick your own cherries, cherry bounce, and so on. The world's cherry pit spit competition was in Fish Creek for years, but I believe it's somewhere in Michigan now -- lots of cherries in Michigan, too.

A guy I work with is about 30 miles from Lake Michigan in the Milwaukee exurbs, and he has a bunch of dwarf cherry trees and harvests more than he can put into jars, pies, bounce, etc.