Gazing across the backyard, your mouth waters as you consider the ideal cherry tree variety to your backyard. The succulent sweet flavor of cherries had been known to early Europeans, Egyptians and Romans and spread round the world by settlers and traders. First cultivated in Turkey, cherries (Prunus spp.) Are native to northeastern Asia and prosper in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9.
Chill Factor
Cherries are among the fruits that demand a significant chill factor, or number of hours between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit, to produce a good harvest. Even though “Minnie Royal” and “Royal Lee” possess an extremely low chill-factor of just 200 to 300 hours and “Stella” requires just 400 hours, most cherry trees need at least 700 to 1,000 chill hours. If you reside in a mild-winter coastal region, “Minnie Royal” or “Royal Lee” might be the ideal cherry varieties for your garden. On the other hand, “Stella” and other well-known varieties, like “Bing,” “Black Tartarian,” “Rainier” or “Montmorency,” boom in the colder winters of the inland valleys and might be better suited to your garden.
Size
The size of your space is also a significant factor in picking out the ideal cherry variety for your own backyard orchard. Nearly all cherry trees have been grafted onto rootstock that reduces the adult size of the tree. A sweet cherry tree, even when adult, can hit 40 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide, while a sour cherry tree is approximately half that size, at 15 to 20 feet tall. By selecting a semi-dwarf tree and pruning it regularly, you can lessen a sweet cherry tree size to 15 to 20 feet tall and 8 to 10 feet wide. In a small terrace or courtyard, a dwarf cherry tree tucked into a corner or grown on a trellis as an espalier could be your only alternative.
Sweet Cherry
Selecting a candy cherry tree (Prunus avium) that thrives in your backyard orchard hinges on the chill factor and space available. While there are many varieties demanding 500 or fewer chill hours, like “Brooks,” “Lapins,” “Minnie Royal,” “Royal Lee,” “Royal Rainier” and “Stella,” not all kinds are available in a dwarf type. In addition, just “Lapins” and “Stella” are self-fruitful; most sweet cherry trees require another tree as a pollinator. If your space is very limited, compromise the variety by selecting from the available trees grafted onto dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstock or by pruning the tree severely every year to make sure it doesn’t outgrow the garden.
Pie Cherry
The choice of sour cherries (Prunus cerasus), also known as pie cherries, can also be limited by the chill factor and space available on your own garden. Additionally, there are fewer varieties of sour cherry trees available to home gardeners. Sour cherry trees like “Dwarf North Star” requires 500 chill hours, while the standard or semi-dwarf “English Morello” needs 400 to 700 chill hours. While not appropriate for the light coastal regions, the easily available “Montmorency” is grown in USDA zones 4 through 9. Unlike sweet cherries, sour cherry trees are self-fruitful, therefore just 1 tree is needed for a bountiful harvest.