My thirteenth "Garden Series" Cache. Update Sept. 18/21: The cache is now winter findable unless snow is plowed onto the host.
Prunus Tribola is an under-utilized "old fashioned" ornamental shrub that is more common in mature properties and parks. Known as Flowering Almond or Flowering Plum, it belongs to the genus Prunus that includes plums, cherries, almonds, nectarines and peaches, and many ornamental trees and shrubs. Prunus Tribola produces neither edible almonds or plums. It is a May blooming ornamental shrub that is native to cold temperate regions of western and central Asia, eastern Europe and western Siberia. It is well adapted to our Canadian prairie climate.
The showy double-flowered Prunus Tribola "Multiplex" was introduced from China to Europe in 1885. It is sometimes described somewhat disparagingly as "short lived" "ponderous" and so on. That's a little unfair, although it is true that without regular trimming and removal of dead wood, it can become overgrown and unattractive, leading to its early removal. This shrub has been used in topiary and bonsai and is easily shaped if one has the time. In our yard, its abundant light pink nickel-sized double blooms appear before its leaves - or the leaves of our other trees and shrubs - fully emerge in spring.
Two related pink (or white) flowering shrubs that are naturalized in older Saskatoon Parks are the Prunus Tomentosa (Nanking Cherry) and Prunus Tenella (Russian Almond). The latter is a shorter, somewhat spindly shrub with a suckering habit that makes it unruly in a garden. However, it is a fragrant harbinger of spring in parks where its wild appearance is more appreciated. If you visit Harold Tatler park at the right time, you may see some pink or white Russian Almonds blooming here.
Congratulations to EggsTheBest for the FTF!
This cache was originally placed for SCAR2019, Saskatoon's annual "Cache and Release" event, held in late May each year. Visit Saskatoon & Area Geocachers Association's web page to learn more about this and other local events. Cache on!