You Garden’s plant of the month for January is ‘Stella’ Cherry Tree
If you only have space for one fruit tree in your garden, this deliciously Sweet cherry tree is the one to grow.
‘Stella’ Cherry is self-fertile, meaning it doesn’t need a second variety of cherry tree to pollinate it. It is also a really heavy and reliable cropper because it has good resistance to late frosts.
Unlike most other sweet cherry varieties, ‘Stella’ will thrive in slightly exposed locations. However, it can also be grown perfectly well in a pot on your patio. The sweetly flavoured, dark-skinned, plump and juicy, aromatic fruits will be ready to pick from mid to late July each year. From the third growing season onwards, you can expect upwards of 5kg of cherries per tree. This will save you a small fortune compared to paying supermarket prices. Additionally, the beautiful cherry blossom, which appears from early March, will brighten your garden and mark the beginning of spring.
Our grower-quality, multi-branched, bare-root trees have been grafted onto ‘Colt’ rootstock. This provides a compact and manageable habit.
Top Tip For Cherry Trees
- Cover the cherry tree with nylon mesh or netting to prevent birds from stealing your crops. ‘Stella’ cherry trees are also known as the ‘Bird Cherry’. This is because they will steal most of your crop if you do not stop them.
- Add Rootgrow Mycorrhizal Fungi to give your plants a head start and establish faster.
Care Guide For Cherry Trees
- Cherry Trees are best grown in moderately fertile soil in full sun.
- If you are growing your trees in pots, keep them well watered.
- Apply a low-nitrogen fertilizer such as 5-10-10 in early spring, about a month before flowering.
- Prune young cherry trees during winter dormancy to shape them into an open centre or central leader shape.
- Mature trees will just need a simple prune to remove dead or crossing branches or to open up the centre or maintain shape – unlike other fruit trees, “Stella” cherry trees do not need pruning to keep them fruiting.
- Train fan-trained trees in spring. Prune established fans and carry out routine pruning on established cherry trees when harvesting the fruits in summer.
For more information on planting fruit trees, Click Here.
