Nanking cherry

Sun

Full sun for the best flowering and fruiting; tolerates light partial shade.

Water

Moderate; water regularly while establishing and during prolonged dry spells as fruit develops. Established shrubs tolerate some drought.

Soil

Well-drained loam or sandy soil; tolerates a fairly wide pH range but struggles in waterlogged ground.

Height

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m)

Spread

6-10 ft (1.8-3 m)

Flowers

Early spring, before or as leaves emerge; pink buds open to white or pale pink flowers.

Foliage

Small, oval green leaves with toothed edges and noticeably downy undersides; autumn colour is usually yellow and often modest.

Growth

Moderate to fast while young.

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   3 ft (0.98 m)

3. After 2 years

   5 ft (1.5 m)

4. After 3 years

   6 ft (1.9 m)

5. After 5 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

   full size

About 4 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant two genetically different seedlings or compatible selections for reliable cross-pollination; two copies of the same clone may not suffice.
• Choose a sunny, well-drained position away from frost pockets.
• Water deeply during the first two growing seasons, allowing the soil surface to dry between waterings.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Top-dress with compost in spring; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding that encourages leafy growth rather than fruit.
• Protect ripening fruit with securely fitted wildlife-safe netting, checking it daily.

Pruning. Prune lightly after harvest in dry summer weather, removing dead, crossing or crowded branches and occasionally taking an old stem back to the base. Avoid routine winter pruning where silver leaf or bacterial canker is a concern, and do not shear plants intended for fruit.

Pick cherries in early to midsummer when fully red, juicy and pleasantly tart rather than sharply sour; taste a few because colour alone is not a perfect guide. Handle gently, as the thin-skinned fruit bruises easily and keeps poorly, and remove stones before cooking or preserving. Healthy, well-pollinated plants commonly give their first useful crop about 2-3 years after planting.

Autumn

Plant in mild climates while soil is workable; in very cold regions, plan for spring planting instead.

Early spring

Plant in cold climates, refresh mulch and add a light compost top-dressing.

Spring

Watch blossom for frost damage and avoid insecticides while pollinating insects are visiting.

Late spring

Water during dry weather as fruit swells and fit bird protection before cherries colour.

Early to midsummer

Harvest ripe cherries frequently and refrigerate or process them promptly.

Summer

After harvest, thin crowded growth in dry weather and remove any shrivelled fruit.

• Plant as an informal edible hedge, allowing room for its naturally spreading branches.
• Use along a home orchard edge with currants and gooseberries for a layered fruit garden.
• Place near a frequently used path to enjoy the early blossom and make picking convenient.
• Combine with low thyme and chives in an edible border, keeping the immediate root area clear while plants establish.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Native hedgerow, Backyard orchard, Edible landscape, Homestead and Wildlife garden.

Plant it with: Chives, Creeping thyme, Yarrow, Redcurrant and Gooseberry.

Wildlife: Early flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees when weather permits them to fly. Birds eat the cherries, and dense branching offers shelter.

• Poor fruit set: plant a genetically different pollination partner nearby; late frost, cold wet flowering weather or too much shade can also reduce crops.
• Bird damage: protect fruit before it ripens with taut, wildlife-safe netting on a frame.
• Brown rot: remove rotten and mummified fruit, thin crowded branches and avoid wetting flowers and fruit when watering.
• Cankers and branch dieback: prune affected wood back to healthy growth in dry summer weather, clean tools between cuts and improve drainage.

The ripe fruit flesh is edible. Leaves, stems and the kernels inside the stones contain cyanogenic compounds and can cause serious poisoning in people, cats, dogs and horses if chewed and eaten; wilted leaves are a particular livestock hazard. Do not eat the kernels or leave prunings where animals can reach them.

• Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus)

  Usually forms a small tree with smoother leaves and larger cherries hanging on conspicuous stalks; Nanking cherry is bushier, with downy leaves and fruit held close to the branches.

• Sand cherry (Prunus pumila)

  Has narrower, largely hairless leaves and typically dark purple-black ripe fruit, rather than the broad, downy leaves and usually red fruit of Nanking cherry.

Nanking is an older English spelling of the Chinese city Nanjing, while tomentosa means densely woolly or downy, referring to the plant's hairs.

Propagation. Grow from cleaned seed given a moist cold period before sowing; seedlings vary and are useful as genetically distinct pollination partners. Softwood cuttings taken in early summer can preserve a selected plant, although rooting success varies.

Accepted botanical name

Prunus tomentosa

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

China North-Central, China South-Central, Manchuria, Qinghai, Sakhalin and Tibet.

Measured

Soil pH 5.7 to 7.2. Average height 244 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.