Flowering apricots are grown for their beautiful deep pink blossom.
Flowering apricots (Prunus mume) are a sub-group of the well-known fruiting apricots (Prunus armeniaca) and originate from China.
Flowering is usually very early - late January in the UK. The flowers are often scented, and may be white, pink, or dark red.
In the Far East flowering apricots may also produce a small crop of fruitlets which are used for culinary purposes, but in the UK climate fruiting is rare.