Why has my tree got two different types of blossom on it?

[IHeartKingThistle]

My first gardening thread!

That's it really. First spring in the new house and the mystery tree in the front garden has sprouted pink fluffy blossom (multi petal?) on some branches and less fluffy white blossom on others. It's exceedingly pretty but I'd quite like to know why it's doing that! Anyone know?

Thanks

Male and female flowers on the same plant.

This will be because the tree is made from 2 different types grafted together. The rootstock will control the vigour (the eventual size of the tree) and the top graft will be the selected colour/fruit/whatever is that was desired.
Nurseries do this so that you can have the tree you want at the size you want, usually small to fit domestic gardens.
Sometimes the rootstock takes over and you end up with a giant tree of the wrong colour. This happens with roses and other species including garden willows.

I've got one that does this. It's an old graft where the rootstock and top bit have both grown branches. Confused me too for a couple of years!

So if you want a pretty tree or one that grows nice fruit, but it usually grows to 100 feet and you only have a little garden, you use the rootstock from a little tree and the top graft from the pretty/fruity tree? Is that right?

That's really clever. No wonder it looks like my tree is having an identity crisis!

I have an old (26 years) flowering cherry & it's just doing this for the first time ever! Top blossom pink, halfway-up-trunk blossom white. I like it

Mine is sort of like \link{http://www.prettyparcel.com/images/cf0010-japanese-cherry-blossom-flower-photo-notecard-bg.jpg\this}

That fits, my dad's best guess on what the tree was before it flowered was flowering cherry. House was built late 70s too, I guess the tree could have been here since then then.

Is it sad that I'm finding this so interesting?

Yes! Those look like the fluffy pink ones!

no, it's not sad, having growing things is wonderful!

All the trees you see in modern orchards are grown this way and their rootstocks have fascinating names such as M25 (invented way before the motorway!)

If a rose is planted too deeply its rootstock will take over and you'll get a very prickly hedging type rose emerging.

You can buy fruit trees where three different varieties have been grafted onto one rootstock to give different fruit off one tree. I am not sure how successful these are as I have only seen them on the internet.