Cherry tree

Lfin100

Hello. I’d like to plant a cherry tree in my garden and I’m hoping for some hints and tips please. My garden has a very heavy clay soil, which is still very cold (I live in the central belt in Scotland and we’ve had a lot of snow this winter!) and my main reason for wanting the tree is to give me a good crop of my favourite fruit and also to add some colour and height to my (new build) garden. However, because my garden isn’t very big I’d like to keep the size of the tree to around 10-12ft ish. 

If if anybody can recommend a specific type of cherry tree that ticks all of these boxes, I’d be very happy to hear about them. Also, am I being a bit too keen wanting to plant in the coming weeks or should I wait until the soil warms up a bit? 

Many, many thanks in advance! 

valerieroberts

Hi, are there any cherry trees in the surrounding gardens or area.. This will tell you if it is too cold for them to flourish and if you need to plant a pollinator for yours. Celeste is a naturally compact cherry tree with delightful dark red juicy fruits. The one I have Grown is about 12 foot with very good growing conditions now ten years old. Mine has a heavy crop every year but I live in the south so you would need to check your situation out. Val

Helix

If you can find a bare root tree then ok still to plant, but you might have missed the window. 

Trouble you've got is that the best rootstock for heavy soil (colt) tends to give a slightly larger tree... but you can keep it to size with pruning I guess. 

To me the best varieties for you would be morello cherries, or nabella. 

pbff

Hi @Lfin100,
Colt rootstock would be the best for your tree and it is possible to control the height with some thoughtful pruning and training.
If you're looking to grow sweet cherries then 'Sunburst' would probably be a good choice, or possibly 'Stella' - both are self-fertile and quite hardy.
If you're looking to grow a culinary cherry, then 'Nabella' is excellent.

Bare-root trees should be planted while they are dormant - April would be the latest time to plant really.
However, you can plant a container-grown tree at any time of the year theoretically, provided that you water it daily until established (it's not advisable to plant a tree during a hot, dry spell - but at least we don't get many of those in the UK!)

I would highly recommend https://www.chrisbowers.co.uk/
Their trees are always of a very good quality and you can be sure of receiving a tree that's been decently grafted.
They are also always happy to provide extra advice about how to care for your trees and answer any queries.
I don't think you'll be disappointed with them.

Hope this is of some help!
All the best
pbff 

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