Sweet cherry

Sun

Full sun; choose a sheltered position outside frost pockets.

Water

Water regularly while establishing and during dry spells as fruit develops; avoid waterlogged soil and abrupt swings between drought and heavy watering.

Soil

Deep, fertile, well-drained loam; mildly acidic to neutral soil is ideal. Avoid persistently wet ground and shallow, drought-prone soil.

Height

50-80 ft (15-24 m) for the species; grafted garden trees can be much smaller, depending on rootstock and training.

Spread

30-50 ft (9-15 m) for the species; less on size-controlling rootstocks.

Flowers

White flowers in clusters in spring, usually just before or as the leaves open.

Foliage

Deciduous, oval, sharply toothed green leaves, usually with reddish glands near the top of the leaf stalk; yellow, orange or red autumn colour.

Growth

Moderate to fast when young, slowing with maturity.

Care needed

High

• Check the rootstock's mature size before planting; keep the graft union above soil level.
• Unless your cultivar is self-fertile, plant a compatible sweet cherry with overlapping flowering nearby.
• Water deeply through dry spells for the first two growing seasons and while established trees are carrying fruit.
• Apply organic mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk; leave young trees free of competing grass.
• Feed in early spring only if growth or soil fertility is poor; excessive nitrogen encourages leafy growth rather than fruit.
• Protect ripening fruit with taut, wildlife-safe netting over a frame, checking it daily.

Pruning. Train young trees in spring as growth begins, then prune established trees lightly in dry summer weather, usually after harvest. Remove dead, crossing and crowded branches, avoid large cuts, and do not routinely prune in autumn or winter because of silver leaf and bacterial canker risk.

Winter

In mild areas, plant dormant bare-root trees when soil is workable and not waterlogged; in colder regions, wait until early spring.

Early spring

Renew mulch, check ties and stakes, and feed only where needed.

Spring

Protect blossom on small trees from forecast frost with supported fleece; remove it during the day so pollinators can reach the flowers.

Late spring

Monitor developing fruit for pests and begin watering during dry weather.

Summer

Protect ripening cherries from birds and pick fully coloured fruit; cherries do not sweeten after picking.

Summer after harvest

Prune lightly in dry weather and remove diseased shoots.

Autumn

Clear fallen fruit and remove shrivelled fruit remaining on the tree to reduce disease carryover.

• Plant compatible fruiting cultivars together in a sunny orchard or productive lawn.
• Use a tree on a suitable size-controlling rootstock as a focal point in an edible garden.
• Train a fan against a sunny wall or fence for accessible fruit and easier netting.
• Use the full-sized species in a large garden or woodland edge for spring blossom and autumn colour, well away from buildings and paving.

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

Plant it with: Daffodils, Crocuses, Chives, Yarrow and Wild marjoram.

Wildlife: Flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees and other insects. Birds eat the fruit, and the foliage supports moth and butterfly larvae; fruit protection is usually necessary if you want a reliable harvest.

• Birds taking ripe fruit: fit taut, wildlife-safe netting over a frame before fruit colours, and check daily for trapped wildlife.
• Brown rot causing soft, rotting cherries: remove infected and shrivelled fruit promptly, improve airflow and avoid overhead watering.
• Bacterial canker causing sunken bark, gum and dying shoots: remove affected wood in dry summer weather, disinfect tools between cuts and avoid unnecessary wounds.
• Fruit splitting after rain near harvest: maintain even soil moisture, choose a less susceptible cultivar and consider a ventilated rain cover for a small trained tree.

Leaves, stems, bark and the kernels inside the stones contain cyanogenic compounds and are toxic to people, cats, dogs and horses if eaten in sufficient quantity. Chewed kernels and wilted foliage are especially concerning; poisoning can be severe or fatal, particularly in grazing livestock. Ripe fruit flesh is not known to be toxic, but remove stones before offering it to pets or children because stones also pose choking and obstruction risks.

Where it spreads. Can spread by bird-sown seed and root suckers. It is invasive in parts of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, including Oregon and Washington, and is an environmental weed in parts of southeastern Australia, including Victoria and Tasmania. Check local guidance before planting near bushland or woodland.

• Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus)

  Usually a smaller, often suckering tree with smaller leaves and distinctly tart fruit; sweet cherry generally has a taller, more upright habit.

• Bird cherry (Prunus padus)

  Bears flowers and small black fruits in long, hanging racemes rather than the short-stalked clusters of sweet cherry.

• Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera)

  Usually flowers earlier, with flowers singly or in small groups rather than cherry-like clusters; the fruit is plum-like and has a distinct seam.

Prunus is the Latin name for plum trees, and avium means 'of birds', referring to birds eating the fruit.

Propagation. Named fruiting cultivars are usually budded or grafted onto a selected rootstock. Seed needs cold stratification, produces variable offspring and will not reliably reproduce the parent's fruit quality or manageable size.

Accepted botanical name

Prunus avium

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corse, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and France.

Measured

Soil pH 5.5 to 6.5. Average height 1220 cm.

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