Hortiforum

General Info – Cherry, Sweet Cherry, Bird Cherry, Wild Cherry

Luscious and eye-catching, Cherries are amongst the most desirable fruits and are a suprisingly easy tree for home cultivation.
Fruit
Native to Europe and parts of West Asia and North Africa, the Cherry Tree has been extensively cultivated within its native range since before Roman times. Cherries are a tempting fruit, attractive to the eye of both gardeners and wildlife alike, with the bright red, heart-shaped fruits often requiring netting for protection. The species name for sweet cherries, Avium, derives from the Latin word for ‘birds’, making apt reference to their love of the colourful fruits. Cherries, like their Prunus relatives in Peaches, Plums and Apricots, are a botanical drupe, with a firm, inedible seed within. Ripening early in the temperate season, from late spring to early summer, ripe Cherries are an early present. Succulent, sweet and luscious, Cherries are the perfect snacking fruit, a delight to gorge on when fresh. Cherries can also be canned, turning into jams or made into a juice. Sour Cherries (Prunus Cerasus) are more commonly used for baking, however, sweet cherries are equally suitable. Cherries are a difficult species for commercial cultivation due to the tendency of fruits to split in wet weather. For home gardeners, however, these superficial changes to fruit appearance are a non-issue with no impact fruit quality or flavour.
Growing Requirements
Cherries are generally tolerant of a range of soils, requiring neither excellent soil structure or fertility, with the latter issue of nutrients capable of being addressed through fertilising in Spring and Autumn. Trees do require good drainage with little tolerance for wet feet. This can be ensured through planting on raised mounds or on a gentle slope. As with other Prunus, provide Cherries with full sun to ensure health, form and productivity. Cherries are suited to low-medium rainfall climates with only ~600mm of rain needed in the year for proper fruiting, too much rain can lead cherries to split, although this is only superficial and not a concern for home cultivation. Cherries are well-suited cool temperate where they are traditionally grown and receive in excess of 700 chill hours. Despite this, new varieties suitable for warm temperate climates and even subtropical climates are available. Varieties such as Royal Crimson, Royal Lee and Minnie Royal are some examples of available varieties suitable for climates with chill hours between 200-300 hours.
Appearance
Like Pear Trees and their ornamental relatives, there are a vast range of ornamental Cherry trees grown for their beauty. With their pyramidal form and spectacular spring blossoms, cherry trees can create wonderful, picturesque landscapes. Cherry Trees can be kept to a manageable size through active pruning, particularly at a young age when the tree should be kept to a small number of central branches (refer to Gardening Australia video for guidance). If kept below 2m, a Cherry Tree will be easy to maintain, harvest and net for protection from birds and bats.
With minimal care and a bit of protection, Cherries reward their owners with gorgeous spring blossoms and delicious fruit.

Plant Profile/Properties