The sweet cherry varieties we grow have been developed from "Prunus avium" - the European bird cherry, while the sour cherries (which are still tangy as well as sweet) have been developed from Prunus cerasus, a wild cherry from Asia. The modern cultivars of the sweet cherry are large and succulent (and expensive to buy) and the most prized fruit of early summer. At present there are massive orchards of cherries being planted in Tasmania for export to luxury markets like Tokyo and New York. Such is modern horticulture.

Cherries definitely need protection from birds and many growing methods have been developed to accommodate this eg. espalier, spanish bush or fans so that they can be netted.

Please see our out of stocks page for varieties that are sold out this season.

All cherries are $24 each (inc. GST)

LAPIN, SIMONE, STELLA These are the new varieties of cherries that have come out of breeding programmes in SW Canada. They are large, almost like a small plum, black, succulent and tasty and resistant (more or less) to splitting when ripe. All these varieties are self pollinating though it's better to plant two just in case (and extend the season). They ripen from mid Dec to late January. Stella and Sunburst ripen slightly earlier. Simone has the largest fruits and their season tends to overlap.

MERCHANT and EARLY BURLAT These are similar in style to Lapin, Stella and Simone, a sweet plump cherry. They ripen among the earliest in the season around Christmas. These need a pollinator: either they can use each other or a Stella.