According to the vernacular, the cherries from the neighbor's garden taste better. Nevertheless, the cherries from their own garden are juicy and tasty. But which types of cherries are suitable for the garden?

In a nutshell

  • of sweet and sour cherries, there are many types of cherries for the garden
  • some sour cherries can also be eaten fresh
  • Ornamental cherries impress with the blossom
  • the fruits of ornamental cherries are often edible, but they don't (really) taste good

cherries

Not only in terms of taste, but also in terms of botanical systematics, a distinction is made between sour cherries, also known as sour cherries (Prunus cerasus) and sweet cherries (Prunus avium). "Avium" is derived from the Latin word for bird ("avis"), which is why sweet cherries are also called bird cherries. Cultivated forms of sweet cherries are cartilaginous cherries (Prunus avium subs. duracina) and heart cherries (Prunus avium subs, juliana), which are often simply referred to as sweet cherries. There are numerous types of cherries of both types today.

Source: Acabashi, 'Prunus' ~ churchyard of the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Shipley, West Sussex, England, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

ornamental cherries

While sweet and sour cherries each represent their own plant species according to the botanical system, ornamental cherries are not assigned to a special species. Ornamental cherries are therefore plants from different species. As with the "other" cherries, there are also numerous "cherry varieties" for ornamental cherries. Ornamental cherries are mainly planted in the garden because of their bloom. The fruits are often edible, but are not recommended for consumption.

cherry week

Cherry week refers to the harvest time of the different cherry cultivars of Prunus cerasus and Prunus avium. The original seven cherry weeks had to be extended to twelve because of numerous new breeds of cherry varieties. The duration of a cherry week is 15 days. The cherry weeks are redefined every year. However, they always start around May 1st. Cherry weeks serve as reference values. The exact harvest date varies from region to region. For example, cherries in the south ripen earlier than in the north. The red late harvest (cherry weeks 10 to 12) is currently the latest cherry variety in Germany to ripen. The earliest to ripen is the "Earliest of the Mark" variety.

Types of cherry: sweet cherry

alma

  • Cherry week: 5 to 6
  • Appearance: black-brown, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: firm flesh, juicy, very high resistance to bursting
  • Taste: sweet, aromatic
  • Growth: medium strong, up to 550 centimeters

annabella

  • Cherry week: 4 to 5
  • Appearance: brown-red-black, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: high resistance to bursting, medium-firm flesh, strongly coloring juice
  • Taste: sweet, aromatic
  • Growth: strong, up to 550 centimeters

Tip: The cherry variety "Annabella" is also suitable for regions with a lot of precipitation.

Badeborn Black Cherries

Source: JörgHSK, Badeborner, flowering, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Cherry week: 5
  • Appearance: black-red, medium to large
  • Fruit characteristics: firm medium to dark red flesh, juicy, medium firmness
  • Taste: very aromatic, sweet
  • Growth: medium to strong, up to 500 centimeters
  • Synonyms: Badeborn Black, Badeborn Dark Brown Cartilage, Farnstadt Black

Bernhard Nette

  • Cherry week: 2 to 3
  • Appearance: dark red, large
  • Fruit characteristics: firm flesh, juicy
  • Taste: sweet and sour, very aromatic
  • Growth: medium strong, up to 550 centimeters

Braunau cherry

  • Cherry week: 4 to 5
  • Appearance: dark red, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: soft dark red flesh, juicy, medium bursting resistance
  • Taste: pleasant aroma, sweet with sufficient acidity
  • Growth: medium strong
  • Synonyms: Braunau heart cherry, Bruno cherry

Büttner's Red Cherries

Source: Tatooine1, Buettner Red Cartilage, edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Cherry week: 5
  • Appearance: reddish-yellow, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: good bursting resistance, firm flesh, colorless juice
  • Taste: very sweet, low acidity, spicy
  • Growth: strong, up to 600 centimeters high

Notice: The sweet cherry "Büttners Rote Knortielkirsche" is an old and robust variety.

Burlat

  • Cherry week: 1 and 2
  • Appearance: dark red, large to very large
  • Fruit characteristics: medium-firm to firm flesh, juicy
  • Taste: sweet, aromatic
  • Growth: strong, up to 600 centimeters high

Earliest of Mark

  • Cherry week: 1
  • Appearance: dark red, small, irregularly bumpy
  • Fruit characteristics: soft, dark red flesh, very juicy, stone-removing
  • Flavor: acidic aromatic
  • Growth: medium strong

Notice: The earliest of the marks is the earliest to ripen in Germany. The cherry weeks are determined according to this variety.

Grevenbroich cartilage cherry

  • Cherry week: 6 and7
  • Appearance: yellowish red to red, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: very firm light yellow flesh, moderately juicy
  • Taste: aromatic
  • Growth: strong

Big princess cherry

Source: Patrice78500, Cerise bigarreau Napoléon, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Cherry week: 4th
  • Appearance: yellow-red, very large
  • Fruit characteristics: can be stored well, firm flesh, juicy, colorless juice
  • Taste: spicy sweet with a fine acidity
  • Growth: medium to strong, up to 600 centimeters high
  • Synonyms: Great Princess

Large Black Cherries

  • Cherry week: 5
  • Appearance: dark red to black, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: very juicy, very firm flesh
  • Taste: slightly sour, sweet
  • Growth: strong, up to 600 centimeters high

Hedelfinger giant cherry

  • Cherry week: 5
  • Appearance: brown-red to black-violet, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: firm dark flesh, juicy
  • Taste: spicy, aromatic
  • Growth: vigorous, up to 600 centimeters high
  • Synonyms: Wahler cherry, mirror cherry, Nußdorfer Schwarze, Glemser, Abels Späte

Notice: The sweet cherry "Hedelfinger Riesenkirsche" is robust and fast-growing.

hudson

  • Cherry week: 8
  • Appearance: brown-red, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: firm
  • Taste: tasty table cherry, sweet, aromatic
  • Growth: medium strong

Kassin's Early Heart Cherry

  • Cherry week: 1 to 2
  • Appearance: large, dark red
  • Fruit characteristics: soft to medium-firm flesh, juicy
  • Taste: extremely aromatic, sweet and sour
  • Growth: medium to strong, up to 550 centimeters high

lapins

  • Cherry week: 7
  • Appearance: yellow-red to red-brown, very large
  • Fruit characteristics: moderate, firm red flesh
  • Taste: sweet
  • Growth: medium strong, up to 550 centimeters high

Merton Late

  • Cherry week: 9
  • Appearance: yellow-red
  • Fruit properties: bursting
  • Taste: sweet
  • Growth: medium strong, upright

Regina

Source: © Superbass / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons), 2022-06-23-Cherry Regina-9167, edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Cherry week: 6 to 7
  • Appearance: dark red skin, light flesh, very large
  • Fruit characteristics: good bursting resistance, firm flesh, moderately juicy
  • Taste: sweet, aromatic, slightly sour note, resistant to bursting
  • Growth: suitable for pot culture, up to 550 centimeters high

Schneider's late cartilaginous cherry

  • Cherry week: 5 to 6
  • Appearance: dark red, medium to very large
  • Fruit characteristics: bursting, firm flesh
  • Taste: sweet, spicy, weak acidity
  • Growth: strong, up to 600 centimeters high

Stella

  • Cherry week: 6
  • Appearance: dark red, large
  • Fruit characteristics: medium-firm pulp
  • Taste: sweet and sour
  • Growth: strong, up to 550 centimeters

Tip: The sweet cherry "Stella" is also available as a columnar cherry.

sunburst

  • Cherry week: 4 to 5
  • Appearance: orange-red to dark red with bright spots, very large
  • Fruit characteristics: medium-firm red flesh, very juicy
  • Taste: sweet and sour
  • Growth: medium strong, up to 550 centimeters high

Sylvia

  • Cherry week: 5
  • Appearance: dark red-brown, very large
  • Fruit characteristics: medium-firm flesh, juicy
  • Taste: fruity
  • Growth: up to 400 centimeters high

Valeska

  • Cherry week: 3 to 4
  • Appearance: black-red, medium to large
  • Fruit characteristics: soft, dark red flesh, very juicy, medium bursting resistance
  • Flavor: aromatically sweet, pronounced cherry flavor
  • Growth: medium strong

Tip: The "Valeska" sweet cherry can still be harvested from the tree after a week of full ripeness.

Werder bay

  • Cherry week: 3 to 4
  • Appearance: dark brown-violet, large
  • Fruit characteristics: firm, dark red flesh, medium bursting resistance
  • Taste: aromatic, sweet
  • Growth: strong, tree often with twin trunks
  • Synonyms: Witzenhausen Giants, Oberried Doctor Cherry, Dark Electoral Houses
Cherry, Prunus

Types of cherry: sour cherry

agate

  • Cherry week: 4 to 5
  • Appearance: red to dark red, medium-sized
  • Fruit characteristics: medium-firm, red flesh
  • Taste: fruity, harmonious, sweet and sour, low acidity, sour cherries for eating fresh
  • Habit: spreading, up to 400 centimeters high, overhanging branches

jade

  • Cherry week: 4 to 5
  • Appearance: medium red, large
  • Fruit characteristics: coloring pulp
  • Taste: Mildly sweet to slightly sour, very fruity sour cherries
  • Growth: medium-growing small tree

carnelian

  • Cherry week: 6
  • Appearance: dark reddish brown, large
  • Fruit characteristics: medium-firm, dark red flesh, juicy, stone-removing
  • Taste: pleasantly sweet and sour, sour cherry for fresh consumption
  • Growth: strong
Prunus cerasus, sour cherry

Grained Vistula

  • Cherry week: 4 to 5
  • Appearance: large to very large
  • Fruit characteristics: firm pulp
  • Taste: delicately sweet and sour
  • Growth: medium strong
  • Synonyms: Hungarian Vistula

Morello cherry

  • Cherry week: 5 to 6
  • Appearance: large, brown-red to black
  • Fruit characteristics: soft flesh, red juice (strongly staining), slightly stone-dissolving sour cherry
  • Taste: very sour
  • Growth: medium strong, up to 400 centimeters high
  • Synonyms: Long solder cherry

Hungarian grapes

  • Cherry week: 6 to 7
  • Appearance: medium-sized, red to reddish brown
  • Fruit characteristics: red to reddish-violet, firm flesh, easy to detach from the stalk
  • Taste: aromatic, tasty
  • Growth: strong, high pyramidal, up to 550 centimeters high

Tip: The sour cherry "Hungarian Traubige" is robust and versatile in the kitchen.

Cherry varieties: ornamental cherry

early cherry

Source: Bruce Marlin, Prunus incisa, edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • botanical name of the species: Prunus incisa
  • Synonyms: Sliced Cherry, March Cherry, Fuji Cherry, Corkscrew Cherry
  • Flower: pink-white, single
  • Flowering time: March to April
  • Leaf: yellow to medium green; orange to red autumn colour
  • Growth: densely branched small shrub
  • Usage: Solitaire
  • Varieties (selection): "Kojo-no-mai" (white to pale pink flowers), "Oshidori" (pale pink, double flowers), "Mikinori" (white flowers with a dark pink center), "Preacox" (white flowers in late winter)

Notice: In this country, the "Kojo-no-mai" variety is often offered in garden shops. This ornamental cherry is suitable for smaller areas, rockeries or pot culture.

Higan cherry

Source: Captain-tucker, Prunus Subhirtella 'Pendula' 05, edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • botanical name of the species: Prunus subhirtella
  • Synonyms: spring cherry, winter cherry, early flowering cherry, snow cherry, winter flowering cherry, rosebud cherry
  • Flowers: umbel-shaped, white to pink
  • Flowering time: between autumn and spring
  • Leaf: medium green; yellow to orange-red autumn colour
  • growth: small tree; up to 600 centimeters high
  • Usage: Solitaire

Notice: For the garden, the "Jugatsu-zakura" variety is often offered under the name "Autumnalis". Together with the ornamental cherry "Atumnalis Rosea", it is one of those varieties that bloom in mild winters. The 'Fukubana' variety blooms in early spring, while 'Accolade' blooms from April to May.

Japanese cherry blossom

Source: Björn S… , Japanese Cherry - Prunus serrulata (41663811531), edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 2.0
  • botanical name of the species: Prunus serrulata
  • Synonyms: Oriental cherry, East Asian cherry, bristleberry
  • Flowers: umbel-shaped, dark pink, filled
  • Flowering period: late April to early May
  • leaf: dark green; intensive yellow and red autumn colours
  • Growth: Tree up to 800 centimeters high
  • Usage: Solitaire

Tip: The purplish-black fruits of Prunus serrulata are edible but not recommended for consumption.

Japanese cherry cultivars (cherry varieties)

Amanogawa

  • Flowers: light pink, single to semi-double
  • Growth: columnar crown, up to 600 centimeters high
  • popular variety for the garden

hokusai

  • Flowers: light pink, semi-double
  • Growth: spreading, up to 600 centimeters high and 1,000 centimeters (10 meters) wide
  • Autumn color of the leaves: salmon to orange-red

Ichiyo

  • Flowers: Light pink, hanging racemes with three to four flowers
  • Growth: up to 700 centimeters high

Kanzan

Source: Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0, Cerisier du Japon Prunus serrulata edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Flowers: dark pink, double, large; in clusters of two to five flowers
  • Growth: up to 1,200 centimeters (12 meters) high, inverted cone-shaped tree crown
  • is often offered under the name "Hisakura".
  • very popular ornamental cherry in Europe

Kiku-shidare-Zakura ( Kiku-shidare-Sakura)

  • Flowers: dark pink, filled
  • Habit: Shrub or small tree with branches hanging down to the ground; up to 500 centimeters high, up to 450 centimeters wide
  • Synonyms: ball cherry, shidare sakura, Japanese clove cherry "Kiku-shidare-zakura"

Shimidsu Sakura

  • Flowers: large, pure white, pink-white buds, hanging racemes with three to six flowers
  • Growth: hemispherical crown, up to 300 centimeters high
  • Synonyms: Longipes, Oku Miyaku

Tai Haku

  • Flowers: Bright white flowers, up to 6 centimeters wide
  • Growth: vigorous tree, up to 800 centimeters

Ukon (Grandiflora)

  • Flower: yellowish-white, sometimes pink, semi-double, 5 centimeters wide
  • Growth: fast-growing tree with a spreading crown

Tibetan cherry

Source: Fab5669, Châlons - petit jard (8), edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • botanical name of the species: Prunus serrula
  • Synonyms: birch bark cherry, paperbark cherry, Tibetan cherry, mahogany cherry
  • Flowers: umbel-shaped, white, simple, small
  • Flowering time: April to May
  • leaf: dark green; yellow autumn colour
  • Growth: tree up to 900 centimeters high; often with multiple stems
  • Usage: Solitaire

Notice: There are different varieties of the Tibetan cherry, such as "Branklyn", which vary in appearance.

dwarf cherry

  • botanical name of the species: Prunus fruticosa
  • Synonyms: steppe cherry, steppe cherry, dwarf sour cherry
  • Flower: bowl-shaped, white, simple, small
  • Flowering time: April to May
  • leaf: green; yellow to orange in autumn
  • Growth: shrub up to 100 centimeters high, rarely 150 centimetres
  • Use: ornamental tree

Notice: The "Globosa" variety has a spherical crown and grows up to 300 centimeters high. The ornamental cherry is suitable for pot culture.

frequently asked Questions

Can you eat the fruit of ornamental cherries?

As a rule, the fruits of ornamental cherries are edible. However, in terms of taste, they are not comparable to sweet or sour cherries. Therefore, consumption is not recommended.

What are early and what are late cherries?

In the case of cherries, the designation “early” and “late” refers to the time of harvest. This is done with the so-calledcherry weeks indicated. The first cherry week starts around May 1st every year. Early cherries include varieties that are harvested in the first two weeks of the cherry season. Late cherries include all cherry varieties that are harvested from the 6th or 7th cherry week.

What are sweetheart cherries?

Heart or cartilage cherries are special cultivated forms of sweet cherries.

Can sour cherries be eaten fresh?

Basically yes, but most varieties taste very sour. However, there are some varieties that are suitable for fresh consumption, such as the "Carnelian" sour cherry.

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