This is how fast a Japanese cherry tree can grow. It was planted in April last year, when it was still a seedling less than 2 feet tall. It put on a little growth but has really taken off this year. Now it's about 6 feet tall.
I decided on a seedling because it would be growing on its own roots. In this climate, Japanese cherries can grow fast and there can be dislocations at the graft line after just a couple of years, resulting in unsightly bulges and inviting fungal disease, and I'm sure also greatly shortening the tree's lifespan from what it would otherwise be. I think the trees will grow a lot more healthy and grow into a better aesthetically shaped canopy in the long term on their own roots, a fact many don't seem to be aware of. I think this was actually propagated from a cutting probably, but I use the term "seedling" because that's what its size is.