When do I prune a sweet cherry tree?

June, July, or early August — NEVER in winter. Same rule as plums: pruning in dormant season exposes the tree to silver leaf disease, an airborne fungus that enters fresh wounds and gradually kills branches. Summer wounds heal fast and resist infection. Mature sweet cherries need very little pruning — just remove dead, diseased, or crossing branches and thin to improve airflow. Avoid hard pruning; cherries don't tolerate it as well as apples or plums.

Do I need two cherry trees for pollination?

No, if you choose a self-fertile variety. Stella, Sunburst, Lapins, Sweetheart all crop without a partner — these four self-fertile varieties cover most UK garden needs. Self-fertile cherries are the obvious choice for a single-tree garden. If your cherry is not self-fertile (e.g. Early Rivers, heritage varieties), you need a partner from the same flowering group — check the variety details at purchase.

How do I protect cherries from birds?

Net the tree completely. Three approaches. (1) Walk-in fruit cage with 1 cm mesh — the long-term answer for multiple soft fruit and cherries. Expensive but solves the problem permanently. (2) Temporary net thrown over the whole tree once fruit starts colouring, tucked under at the base. Works on Gisela 5 trees up to 3 m. (3) Mesh cone or frame over a small tree. Without netting, blackbirds and starlings strip the crop in a day — there's no way around this.

My cherries split before they ripen — what's wrong?

Sudden heavy rain after a dry spell. The fruit absorbs water through the skin and splits because the flesh expands faster than the skin can stretch. Three preventatives. (1) Consistent watering: regular weekly watering in dry spells avoids the boom-and-bust pattern. (2) Pick early: as soon as fruit is fully coloured, before the next rain. (3) Cover the tree with plastic sheet over a frame when rain is forecast just before ripening (commercial growers do this routinely).

What's the best sweet cherry variety for the UK?

Stella — the safest, most reliable. Fully self-fertile, heavy cropper, classic dark red dessert flavour, available everywhere. Other excellent self-fertile options: Sunburst (very large dark fruit), Lapins (very heavy cropper, late), Sweetheart (deep flavour, very late). Plant on Gisela 5 rootstock for a manageable 2.5–3 m tree. Avoid heritage varieties unless you have a real interest in old fruit — they're often hard to find pollinators for.

Can I grow a sweet cherry in a pot?

Yes — on Gisela 5 rootstock only. A 50 cm pot of peat-free compost, in a sheltered sunny spot. Pot cherries need: (1) permanent staking, (2) slow-release fertiliser in April plus monthly liquid feed, (3) consistent watering (drying out causes fruit drop and splitting), (4) summer pruning to keep size manageable, (5) bird protection — a fine mesh draped over the whole pot tree from a frame. Pot cherries crop reliably though smaller — perfect for a sunny patio.

Cerezo

Prunus avium

Plant sweet cherry trees bare-root from November to March, in a sheltered sunny spot in well-drained soil — and plan how you'll net them before you plant, because blackbirds and starlings will strip an unprotected cherry tree in a day. Sweet cherries are hardy (RHS H6) but the early blossom (April) is vulnerable to spring frosts. Stella is the UK's reliable choice — fully self-fertile, heavy cropper, classic dark red dessert flavour. Like plums, never prune sweet cherries in winter (silver leaf disease) — prune in June–August. The Gisela 5 rootstock revolutionised UK cherry growing — produces small (2.5–3 m) trees that fit small gardens and can be netted as a single unit. Pick when fully coloured (almost black for dark cherries, deep red for Stella) and the stalk pulls away cleanly with the fruit.

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