THEY are the epitome of a British summer, and life could be a bowl of them if you are living the dream – so how do you get the very best from must-grow cherry trees?
In the early 20th century you would have needed a huge garden in order to grow cherry trees, but with the introduction of self-fertile cherry ‘Stella’ in 1968, this all changed. Until this point, cherry pollination had been a bit of a conundrum, with self-incompatibility compounded further by incompatibility between varieties. Thank goodness for Canada! This is where ‘Stella’ and many other self-fertile varieties (such as ‘Sunburst’ and ‘Lapins’) were bred.
The UK, too, has introduced varieties that are better suited to our inclement climate (such as ‘Summer Sun’, see page 20), meaning that cherry success is more of a guarantee for British gardens.
Just be sure to position your tree in
