Cherry Tree
Prunus avium
Also known as
Sweet Cherry, Wild Cherry, Kersie (Afr.)
Prunus avium, blossom, Metylovická pahorkatina 03 by Daniel Baránek (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Full Sun
Moderate care
Moderate watering
Frost Hardy
7a
USDA zone
-18°C
Minimum temperature
Expected size
Height | Spread | |
|---|---|---|
Max | ||
8m | Min | 8m |
25 years to reach maturity
Fruiting
spring
summer
autumn
winter
Fruit are hand-picked when ripe.
More images
Overview
Tall and attractive, the Wild Cherry, Prunus avium, is a deciduous tree that speaks to almost all the senses with its fragrant white-pink flowers in spring, its orange, pink & red leaf-jacket in autumn and the small tasteful deep-red fruits that are known across the world. It has culinary & medicinal applications. It is ornamentally cultivated as a flowering tree or grown for the delicious fruit. This tree can survive in a wide range of habitats and is a beautiful addition to an informal garden.
Companion plants
Other Cherry trees will help with better pollination and fruitset.
Propagation
Cuttings
Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, winter in a frame. Softwood cuttings from strongly growing plants in spring to early summer in a frame.
Seed
Sowing time - Winter. Germination time - Seed needs 3 months of cold to break dormancy period and will sprout in Spring.
Suckers
They produce quite a lot of suckers and can form thickets, especially if the main trunk is felled.
Special Features
Autumn colour
The leaves turn orange, pink or red before falling.
Attracts useful insects
Attracts insects such as bees during blossom time.
Attracts birds
The fruit are readily eaten by numerous kinds of birds.
Repels harmful insects
The tree exudes a gum from wounds in the bark, by which it seals the wounds to exclude insects and fungal infections.
Attractive flowers
Uses
Culinary
Medicinal
Fruit stalks are astringent, diuretic and tonic. A decoction is used in the treatment of cystitis, oedema, bronchial complaints, looseness of the bowels and anaemia, amongst other treatments.
Edible
Fruit is eaten fresh, in tarts, as a dessert, frozen, candied, pickled, in sweet & sour dishes or preserved in jams, liqueurs & syrups. Otherwise eaten by birds, animals & various insects.
MORE TO EXPLORE
Poisonous to Pets
If your pet likes to nibble your plants, check our collection to make sure what they're eating isn't doing them any harm.
Pollinator Friendly Plants for Spring
Native spring flowering plants that provide the best habitat, shelter and food for pollinators.
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