The Peppermint Peach Tree is a beautiful and unique tree that produces bi-colored flowers in pink, red, and white. As the tree matures, it grows up to 20 feet tall and is covered with glossy green leaves. During the spring, the Peppermint Peach Tree’s branches are completely covered with flowers, making it an excellent choice for indoor flower arrangements. Each blossom can last for several days, and the blooms will attract the attention of your family and guests.
One of the most remarkable features of the Peppermint Peach Tree is that it blooms twice a year. After the first wave of flowers falls from the branches, the tree begins a second wave of blooming that continues for a couple of weeks in the fall season. The pink and white blooms of the Peppermint Peach Tree are sure to brighten up your garden and provide an unusual combination of white, pink, and red stripes, dots, and splotches on the flower petals.
The Peppermint Peach Tree remains a garden favorite due to its beautiful and vibrant double carnation-like blooms that cover the tree early in the spring. Year after year, the Peppermint Peach Tree’s blooms will bring joy and color to your garden.
Overview
- Family: Rosaceae
- Genus: Prunus
- Species: persica
- Cultivar: PeppermintMature Size: 15 to 20 feet tall and wide
- Lifespan: About 20 years in the Lowcountry
- Sunlight: Full
- Soil: Nutrient-rich, well-draining loam
- Water: For the first year, water regularly. Mulch soil and avoid letting it dry out.
- Fertilizer: Feed with an all-purpose fertilizer in early spring and late summer.
The Peppermint Flowering Peach is a unique and beautiful plant that prefers to be grown in full sun to ensure optimal flowering. While it needs cold winters in warmer climates, it does not fare well in cold, wet springs. This fast-growing small tree thrives in well-drained, slightly sandy soil but should not be placed in damp areas of the garden. Since it is not grown for fruiting, pests and diseases are generally not a problem. To encourage new shoots to bloom the following spring, pruning should be done immediately after flowering.
If you’re looking for a plant that is both unique and stunning, the Peppermint Flowering Peach is a great choice. With a lovely rounded, broad canopy, it grows to a height of about 20 feet. Its large, petal-filled flowers are truly breathtaking and come in a rich shade of pink. Upon closer inspection, the petals have irregular vertical stripes of white, pink, and rose red, making each flower unique. Some petals are more or less red, while others are pure white or bright red. Collecting different shapes of flowers is also a fun game. With its candy cane-like appearance, this tree is a great way to introduce children to gardening and attract all ages with its novel and beautiful flowers. Whether you’re starting a new garden or looking to brighten up an old one, the Peppermint Flowering Peach is sure to impress.
Growing the Peppermint Flowering Peach
Size and Appearance
The Peppermint Flowering Peach is a deciduous small tree with a low trunk and many branches forming a round canopy, which can reach up to 20 feet tall and wide. It grows quickly, extending about 3 feet per year and can reach a height of 10 to 12 feet in 4 to 5 years. The stems are shiny reddish-brown when young and become grayish brown and coarse as they mature. The leaves are dark green, slightly shiny, just over 5 inches long, and 1 inch wide, turning yellow in the fall.
This tree has an early flowering season that usually begins in late March, providing a colorful display in the spring. The flowers are numerous along the bare stems and are large, about 2 inches in diameter, with up to 25 petals forming a ruffled flower. The petals have several vertical stripes and vary in color from white to pink to dark rose red, with each flower having a different blend of these colors. While most flowers are striped, some branches produce pale pink flowers, and others have rose-red flowers. Although it usually does not produce fruit, it may produce small and inedible fruit when it does.
Using the Peppermint Flowering Peach in Your Garden
This wonderful tree is a welcome addition to any new yard in need of some spring color. It grows rapidly and will quickly become a standout feature whether planted on the lawn or at the back of a shrub bed. Moreover, it is an ideal option for creating an impressive screen along a fence or border. As it is a shrub, it can fit under most overhead power lines.
Don’t let your yard appear dull and lifeless during the spring season when everything else is bursting with color. Plant this exceptional tree and enjoy the beautiful and large ruffled flowers in shades of white, pink, and dark rose red. With its rapid growth and striking appearance, it is guaranteed to add an element of vibrancy and appeal to your landscape.
Hardiness
Peppermint-flowering peaches thrive best in zones 6, 7, and 8. Although the exact cooling time required is unknown, this variety can also bloom well in Zone 9. However, it is not suitable for colder areas as it does not fare well in cold, wet spring weather.
Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions
For optimal growth, the Peppermint Flowering Peach should be grown in full sun. Although it can grow in any well-drained soil, a light soil with a little sand mixed in works best. If you have heavier soils, adding plenty of organic matter during site preparation can help improve drainage and airflow to the soil.
Maintenance and Pruning
While Peppermint Flowering Peach can be susceptible to pests common to many peach trees, these are typically not a concern as they primarily affect fruit production, not flowering. Flowers are produced in abundance on stems that are two to three years old. Pruning immediately after flowering can encourage the growth of many new twigs that will bloom the following year. Although branches that produce only rose-pink or pale pink flowers are attractive, over-extending such branches will result in fewer bicolor flowers.
