What Should I Know About My Variety Of Cherries?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Emperor Francis’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Stella’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Summit’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Hedelfinger’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘WhiteGold’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Ulster’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Sweetheart’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Kristin’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Hudson’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Lapins’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘BlackGold’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Northstar’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Morello’?

Do you grow a variety called ‘Montmorency’?

A reliable and hardy tree that produces heavy crops of medium-sized, yellowish fruits with a light red blush that darkens as they ripen. The juicy cherries have an excellent sweet flavor and are delicious eaten straight from the tree.

One of the oldest, more compact, and easy-to-grow varieties, this has long been the preferred choice for gardens. It reliably produces an abundant crop of large, dark red, almost black, juicy fruits with a sweet flavor.

This relatively new American variety produces good crops of cherries in the middle of the cherry season. The large, slightly heart-shaped fruits are a light red color and their strong, sweet taste is delicious straight from the tree.

This productive European variety is favored for its vigorous growth habit and reliable, high-quality, dark fruits that resist cracking. The beautiful white spring blossoms that appear before the foliage require cross-pollination.

Winter-hardy and frost-tolerant, ‘WhiteGold’ produces crack-resistant, yellow-red fruits. Trees are tolerant to cherry leaf spots and resistant to bacterial canker. Self-fertile, it is an excellent pollenizer for other sweet cherries.

‘Ulster’ produces large, dark, high-quality fruits that resist cracking. The vigorous trees have shown resistance to cherry leaf spots, and their blossoms are less likely to be damaged by spring frosts than those of other varieties. It requires a pollenizer.

A relatively new variety, this tree produces fruits that do not ripen all at once, making the harvesting period longer than for many other types. The heavy crops of cherries ripen to dark red color with an excellent sweet flavor.

This tree bears heavy crops of extra-large dark fruits when paired with a suitable pollenizer. However, it is self-infertile and incompatible with ‘Ulster’ and ‘Emperor Francis’. It is the recommended sweet cherry for cold-winter locations.

These medium-to-large dark-red cherries ripen later than most. Plant with another variety for cross-pollination, and canker-tolerant ‘Hudson’ will extend the harvest period. Prune for productive, lateral branches.

This upright tree bears heavy crops of large, good-quality fruits. The cherries are a dark red, almost black color when they are fully ripe and have an exquisite, sweet flavor, both straight from the tree and when cooked.

For areas prone to early summer rains, ‘BlackGold’ is a good choice; its heavy crop of drupes resists cracking. It is self-fertile and an excellent pollenizer for other sweet cherry varieties. Trees show tolerance to canker.

A compact size of 10 ft (3 m) allows for easy harvesting and facilitates netting against birds. Cold-hardiness, resistance to brown rot and leaf spot, and an attractive drooping habit make ‘Northstar’ a great backyard choice.

Probably the most popular sour cherry, this relatively small tree produces huge crops of large red fruits, even in slightly shaded or north-facing gardens. The cherries are sour when eaten straight from the tree and so are best when cooked.

This French heirloom variety is the standard for pie cherries. The ornamental trees are compact, with a spreading habit, and do not require a pollenizer. Dependable yields of bright red fruits have yellow flesh and clear juice.

‘Meteor’ natural-dwarf variety bears large, oblong, bright red, freestone fruits. The acidic, juicy yellow flesh is excellent for pies. Bred for winter-hardiness, it is leaf spot resistant, and an easy choice for a small garden.