Photo: Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Broadleaf tree · Rose family (Rosaceae)

Bird cherry

Prunus padus · also: European bird cherry

The bird cherry is a native tree of 5–15 m that in April–May is hung with long spikes of white, strongly scented flowers. It grows naturally along streams, in damp woods and hedgerows, but it is rare in the wild. In summer it bears black, bitter little cherries that birds love. You recognise it by the dull, finely toothed leaf and the grey-brown bark, which smells unpleasant when damaged. In some years it is completely shrouded in webs by ermine moth caterpillars, but it recovers on its own. For a damp garden it is a lovely native blossom tree.

Caution: The little cherries are bitter; stones and leaves contain hydrogen cyanide. Don’t let children crunch the stones, and don’t leave wilted leaves in a field: they are poisonous to horses and livestock.

Updated on 10 October 2026

Light
Sun or partial shade
preferably some sun
Moisture
Moist to wet
must not dry out
Legal basis
Any garden soil
any pH
Hardiness
Throughout Belgium
no protection needed
Size
5–15 m
tall
Flowering
April–May

Key facts
Pruning months	June–August
Height	5–15 m
Native to Belgium	Yes
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds
Poisonous to people and pets	In part: see Caution above
Flowering	April–May

Identify

Bird cherry: how do you recognise it?

Habit: Small tree or large shrub of 5–15 m with a loose, rounded crown about 8 m wide.
Leaves: Alternate, elliptical, 6–12 cm, thin and dull, finely and sharply toothed; small glands at the top of the leaf stalk.
Bark: Grey-brown, smells unpleasant when damaged.
Flowers: Long hanging spikes of white, strongly scented flowers in April–May.
Fruit: Black, bitter little cherries in summer.
Difference from black cherry: Black cherry has a glossy, leathery leaf with brown hairs along the midrib and flowers later, in May–June.

Flowering: April–May · Pruning: June–August

Identify by feature: White blossom · Hanging flower clusters · Black berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

Black cherry Prunus serotina: glossy, leathery leaf with brown hairs along the midrib. Difference from black cherry

In your garden

Why grow it?

One of the most beautiful native blossom trees: long, fragrant spikes in April–May.
Early blossom for insects, little cherries for birds.
Made for damp and wet gardens, where many blossom trees struggle.
The native alternative to the invasive black cherry.

Bird cherry: where does it grow best?

Sun or part shade; it flowers most freely in sun.
Moist to wet, fertile soil, such as along a stream, ditch or pond; on dry soil it languishes.
Allow for 5–15 m in height and a crown of about 8 m: suitable for a medium to large garden, a hedgerow or a woodland edge.

Light: Sun or partial shade
Legal basis: Any garden soil
Moisture: Moist to wet
Size: 12 m tall, 8 m wide
Hardiness: Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

Alder: Another native tree of wet ground: together a hedgerow along a stream or ditch.
Guelder rose: A native shrub for moist soil, with white flower heads in May and red berries.
Goat willow: Silver catkins in March, bird cherry flowers in April–May: together a long spring season for bees.
Hazel: A native shrub for the understorey, with early pollen and nuts.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

Tolerate the shade under this tree: oregon grape, rhododendron, oleaster, japanese skimmia, garden privet, camellia, laurustinus, box-leaved honeysuckle

Maintenance

Bird cherry: when and how to plant it?

Plant from November to March when the ground isn’t frozen.
Choose a young plant: a forestry transplant or a small tree in a pot.
Buy it from a nursery that sells native stock, and check that it isn’t black cherry.
Work some compost into the soil and water after planting and during dry spells in the first year.

Care

Watering: In dry spells during the first year; in a damp spot not needed after that.
Feeding: A layer of compost or leaf mould in spring is enough.
Ermine moth: Webs full of caterpillars in May–June are harmless: don’t spray. The tree comes back into leaf on its own in summer.
Birds: Leave the little cherries on the tree: thrushes, robins and other birds eat them in summer.

Tip: Buy bird cherry from a nursery that sells native stock: then you can be sure it isn’t the invasive black cherry. For even longer flower spikes, choose the variety ‘Watereri’.

Bird cherry: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June–August.

When: In summer, in dry weather.

How:

Needs little pruning: only remove dead, diseased or awkward branches, just outside the branch collar.
The webs of ermine moths are harmless: there is no need to prune for them, the tree comes back into leaf on its own.

Caution: Don’t prune in autumn or winter: as with other cherries, saw cuts then invite silver leaf.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing: Take the stones from ripe little cherries, rinse them and sow them outdoors in a tray in autumn: they need a winter in the cold before they germinate.
Self-sown seedlings: Under and around a bird cherry you sometimes find seedlings from stones dropped by birds; move them in winter.

Bird cherry: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

Fully hardy.
In winter you can recognise it by the pointed, brown buds and the unpleasant smell when you snap a twig.

Diseases and pests

Bird-cherry ermine moth: In May–June the tree is sometimes completely shrouded in webs and stripped bare. It looks dramatic but is harmless: the tree comes back into leaf on its own.
Aphids: In winter and spring bird cherry is the host of an aphid that moves to grasses and cereals in summer. A few curled leaves in spring are harmless.
Silver leaf: Silvery leaves and dying branches. Only prune in summer in dry weather, and cut affected branches back into healthy wood.
Drought: On too dry a site the leaves get brown edges and drop early. Choose a damp spot or water.

Through the year

March: Last month for planting.
April: Flowering: long, fragrant spikes for insects.
May: Ermine moth webs: don’t intervene.
June: Pruning possible, in dry weather.
July: Little cherries for the birds; the tree releafs after the ermine moth; summer pruning.
August: Last month for pruning; collect stones.
October: Sow stones outdoors.
November: Planting season starts.

Use

What can you use it for?

For wildlife: Early blossom for insects, little cherries for birds.
Garden and landscape: Lovely flowering tree for damp gardens.

Caution: The little cherries are bitter; stones and leaves contain hydrogen cyanide.

Good for wildlife

Bees: Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.
Birds: Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.
Caterpillars: Host plant: caterpillars of butterflies or moths eat the leaves.
Hoverflies: Open flowers for hoverflies; many of their larvae eat aphids.

You and this species

Did you know?

In some years the whole tree is shrouded in webs spun by the caterpillars of the bird-cherry ermine moth. The tree recovers.
The name says it all: the bitter little cherries are no treat for us, but thrushes, robins and starlings love them.
It is related to wild cherry and cherry laurel: all three belong to the genus Prunus, and like cherry laurel it flowers in spikes.
An aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) overwinters as an egg on bird cherry and flies to grasses and cereals in spring, where it is a well-known pest.
In Russia people speak of the ‘bird cherry cold’: a cold spell in May that often coincides with the tree’s flowering.

All species · Identification key · Pruning calendar