The cherry genus Prunus contains over 200 species, but it is arguably the flowering Japanese cherries which have greatest appeal for their mass of flower produced throughout spring. P. ‘Shogetsu’ (or ‘Blushing Bride’) is amongst the later flowering cultivars and has a low, spreading habit, growing to approximately 5m in height and up to 8m in spread. It is considered to be one of the finest cultivars whose leaves are tinged bronze at emergence, taking on brilliant orange and red hues in autumn. The double, pale pink flowers have a frilled petal margin, and as they age they fade from soft pink to white. The origin of this cultivar is not entirely clear, though it is believed to have been raised in California in the 1920’s.