About
This very late cropping cherry, producing a good crop of sweet, dark red fruit from an early age. It is self fertile, and ripens over a long period in late summer and early autumn.
About the genus
Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeClay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH5
Plant details
Plant typeFruit Edible, Trees
HabitBushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height2.5-4 metres
Spread2.5-4 metres
Time to full height5-10 years
Suggested usesCity and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Wildlife gardens
Care notes
CultivationThe ideal position for sweet cherries is deep, fertile, well-drained, slightly acid soil in full sun. Cherries are best suited to fan-training so they can be netted against bird damage and the early blossom protected from frosts, though they can also be grown as small, open trees. See sweet cherry cultivation
PruningTrain fan-trained trees in spring. Prune established fans and carry out routine pruning on established cherry trees when harvesting the fruits in summer
PropagationPropagate by chip budding or grafting on clonal rootstock for fruit. named varieties will not come true from seed
Pest resistanceProtect trees from birds that can damage buds and eat fruit. May suffer from cherry blackfly and other aphids, leaf-mining moths, pear and cherry slugworm, winter moth and other caterpillars. Spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly, is likely to become an increasing problem
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to peach leaf curl, silver leaf, bacterial canker, blossom wilt and honey fungus