How long does it take for a Weeping Cherry to bloom?

Q: I am curious to know how many seasons it will take for my Weeping Cherry to begin blooming. It was purchased as a seedling 6-7 months ago and it's being grown into a bonsai.

Steven Sullivan

Hardiness Zone: 8b

D_Mcpasterfield from Austin, Texas

A: D_Mcpasterfield,

I'm certainly no Bonsai master (although I'm a big admirer of the art), but in most cases, weeping cherry trees bloom by the age of 4 to 5 years old. That is, of course, assuming that their growing requirements have been met satisfactorily for the years leading up to their first bloom. Any number of environmental factors may work to slow down (or even speed up) this process. But even more so than environmental factors, genetics play a large role in determining when flowering trees first flower. Some trees, like some people, are "late bloomers." Growing a weeping cherry tree as a bonsai specimen is really no different than growing one in your backyard in terms of development.

The only difference is that bonsai artists go to great lengths to control the size and shape of their trees. So the age at which your weeping cherry will bloom for the first time is dependant entirely on genetics and how well you meet its requirements for growth, independent of the bonsai conditions under which the tree is grown.

Ellen