Collection: Cherry Trees

Potted cherry trees can be planted all year round, while bare root cherry trees are planted while dormant over winter. See our full tree planting guide for all the info on positioning, digging, staking and watering your new tree.

Cherry trees love full sun and will produce the most blossom and fruit in sunny spots, but they also tolerate partial shade. Grow in well-drained, slightly acidic soil against a sunny wall or fence. Dwarf cherry trees can also grow in pots.

Cherries do grow on trees. We divide these into fruiting cherry trees, which produce a tasty and edible harvest, and ornamental cherry trees, which produce berries best left to the birds and are instead valued for their blossom.

Our cherry trees are grafted to rootstocks that encourage fast fruiting and limit growth to a manageable size for regular gardens. Most grow to an eventual size of around 4m tall and 4m spread, though dwarf varieties would reach at most 2m.

Cherry trees are pretty fast growing. A standard cherry tree can grow between 30-60cm a year, while a dwarf variety may grow 16-20cm annually.

A cherry tree grown from a seed will take about 10 years to bear fruit. A grafted young cherry tree from Roots will bear fruit in about 2 years, with more substantial harvests by the fourth or fifth year.

Some cherry trees need a pollination partner to bear fruit, while others are self-fertile or partially self-fertile (though they too can produce more fruit with a partner). In built up areas it’s likely there will be another cherry tree nearby to pollinate yours, but if you have the space there’s no harm in getting two. Check each tree’s page to see if it needs a pollination partner.

Cherry trees produce fruit in early, mid or late summer - check the product page of each variety to see when its harvest time falls.

Yes, cherry fruit trees produce blossom in the spring which is pollinated to form the berries. Ornamental cherry blossom trees, however, are selected specifically for their spectacular blossom displays.

Wild cherries in Britain are edible, although they may not be as sweet as cultivated varieties. Like all cherries, however, the pips contain cyanide so these shouldn’t be eaten and can be dangerous in large quantities. When foraging it’s important to know what you’re picking and don’t confuse wild cherries with any other poisonous berries.

Technically you could grow a cherry tree from a pit, though it’s quite an involved process to prepare the pit, nurture the seedlings indoors and then grow into a tree outside. You should use pits from local cherries (rather than those from a supermarket) so they’re suited to your local climate. Also be aware that it will take up to 10 years to bear fruit from a cherry tree grown from a pit, versus about 2 years from a grafted tree.