CHERRIES ON THE PRAIRIES by Laura Rempel
I’ve been dreaming and
scheming for a number of years now. Not that you would know it, by looking at my
front garden. I have a small yard, and that’s my entire problem. You see, I want
cherries. In my yard. And I can’t have them. Ten years ago, I was looking for an
attractive, small tree to put in my front yard. I wish I had known more about
cherries back then.
The only cherries I knew of were the Nanking
cherries, and I wasn’t interested in a large shrub taking up a large portion of
my space. Nanking cherries are in the 6 foot range, generally growing as tall as
they are wide. They have beautiful, fragrant spring blooms and the fruit makes
lovely jam and pies, but can also be eaten out of hand. The tart fruit is small,
only ½ an inch or less, but a single bush can yield over 10 pounds of fruit.
The
Nanking cherry is a lovely specimen plant, but also makes a beautiful hedge, as
does the Prinsepia cherry. Both should, however, only be pruned after blooming,
but use gloves while pruning the Prinsepia to protect yourself from the spiny
branches. The Prinsepia cherries are also edible (although tart) and the birds
do love them. The shrub turns a beautiful gold in the fall. Its size is similar
to the Nanking, so it still would not have been a good choice for my
yard.
But then I met Evans. (The Evans cherry, to be specific.) Named
after the plant researcher who found it, Dr. Ieuan Evans, it is everything I’ve
ever wanted for my small front garden. It is a small tree, growing to a height
of about13 feet, with a spread of 10 feet. The tree flowers with masses of white
blooms in early spring, and the fruit is large (1” in diameter) and is excellent
for baking, jams and wine. It also has excellent flavour eaten right off the
tree, however, the longer the cherries are left on the tree, the darker and
sweeter they become!The foliage turns a beautiful yellow-orange in the fall. It
is self-pollinating, and ripens by mid-summer with a very good yield. It even
has an interesting history; the cherry was found by Dr. Ieuan Evans, growing in
an established orchard northeast of Edmonton since 1923. He took some suckers
from the trees, began propagating them, and now, it is the No. 1 selling cherry
tree in Canada.
Even though the Evans cherry is my favourite, I should try to be a
bit more impartial, because there are many more wonderful, hardy cherries that
have been bred for the prairies. The University of Saskatchewan has come out
with a cultivar called Carmine Jewel. It is an 8 ft by 6 ft shrub that also has
ornamental value; very large flowers and glossy leaves. The cherries are dark
red, almost purple, and moderately sweet (brix 17). This cultivar is the
earliest to ripen, during late July. The fruit is good for fresh eating, jams
and jellies, and wine.
In fact, the University of Saskatchewan has been
breeding sour cherry cultivars for over 60 years. The two sweetest cherries of
these cultivars are Crimson Passion and Romeo. They both have a brix 22, but the
Crimson Passion ripens slightly earlier with larger fruit, is shorter by a foot
(at 5.5 feet) and the least likely to sucker. Unfortunately, they are both a
little less hardy when they are still “young.” Crimson Passion has been known to
produce fewer cherries, but the fruit has the best texture. If you are most
interested in harvesting for juice, Romeo would be the best choice, as it also
has a high yield.
Cupid is the latest to ripen, with the largest fruit,
moderate sweetness and good flavour.
Juliet and Valentine both ripen
early to mid-August, with similar size fruits. Juliet is the second sweetest, so
it is very good for eating fresh, but also for processing. Valentine is the most
tart of all the cherries, coming in at a brix 15, so it is mostly recommended
for cooking and jam. It is also the most prone to suckering, and the tallest at
8 feet.
All sour cherry cultivars are self-pollinating, which is good if
you only have room for one plant. For the most part, the cultivars are moderate
to high producers, but you may have some competition from the wildlife – birds
and chipmunks enjoy them, too. Fruit production will start within the second
year. The lifespan of the cherry trees and shrubs is about 30 years, with a
medium growth rate, so you’ll be enjoying your cherry harvest for a very long
time!