Stella Cherry Trees

Stella Sweet Cherry Trees: Late Season

The all-time favourite sweet cherry tree, Stella cherries are big, dark red and delicious.

The only thing you can say against it is that it is too popular - most supermarket cherries are Stellas. But when you grow them at home, you can pick them at the perfect time - they'll be much better than the ones in the shops.

Stella is a spreading tree, suitable for growing in the North & Scotland.

Browse our range of cherry trees, other mini patio trees, or all our fruit trees.

Delivery season: Bareroot plants are delivered in late Autumn to Spring, about November-March inclusive. Pot grown plants, year round. 

Features:

• Sold as bareroot, normal trees or potted, mini patio trees.
• Self fertile.
• Pollination Group D
• Crop in Late July.
• Recommended for the drier Eastern side of the UK

Pollination Partners for Stella Cherries:
Stella will make fruit all by herself.
She is in pollination group D & makes a good pollinator for most cherries, any tree in group C, D or E of the cherry tree pollination table.

Rootstocks:
Our Stella cherry trees are all grown on "Colt" rootstocks.
Maximum height 4 metres.

Growing Stella Cherry Trees:
Rich soil is important - dig in plenty of good manure and compost before planting.
Soil drainage must be good.
The more sun your trees get the better your crops will be.
Cherry trees are targets for birds, so netting them is a good idea.
Only prune cherries in summer.

Growing Mini Patio Trees in Pots:
Dwarf trees do very well in large containers of rich potting soil. During summer, it is essential to provide consistent moisture, without overwatering, and to feed lightly. 
Change as much of the compost as you can every three years.

Prepare your site before planting:
Improving the soil helps trees establish quickly and be productive for years. Preparing weeks or months in advance gives best results: fill the planting hole back up, don't leave it open to either dry out or fill with water.

• Destroy weeds and grass,
• Dig the soil over, remove stones, then mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades, unless you are on heavy clay:
• On thick clay soil, only dig in some grit to improve drainage and raise the level a little. Then apply organic matter as a mulch over the soil as normal.

Spacing cherry trees

• Freestanding bushes: 15-18 feet (5-6m) between trees and rows.
• Freestanding half-standards: 18-30 feet (6-10m) between trees and rows.

In general, allow 1 more metre between rows than between trees along the row.

• Wire-trained fans: 10-18 feet (3.5-6m) apart.

• Watch how to plant a fruit tree for a bush or half-standard.
• To grow a fan, you need to install sturdy training wires.

Remember to water establishing trees during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Accessories:
For bush and half standard trees, a tree planting pack, which includes a wooden support stake & rubber tie (a bamboo cane is enough support for a maiden), and a biodegradable mulch mat, with pegs, to preserve soil moisture stops and prevent weeds.

We strongly recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of all transplanted trees.

Winter wash and grease are effective, organic pest prevention.

Did You Know?

Bred in Canada in 1968, Stella was the first of the modern, self fertile cherry trees.

Cherry Tree Delivery Shapes:

Most of our fruit trees are delivered in up to 3 shapes (maiden, bush, and half standard), and you can buy selected varieties as potted mini patio trees: scroll up to see what's in stock. 

Maiden: Unbranched tree, the most basic starting size, which you can train into fans, or the forms below (apart from mini patio trees).
Bush: Freestanding tree with a short trunk about 60cm tall. It will grow to about 3m. Ideal for small gardens.
Half-Standard: A freestanding form with a trunk about 120cm tall. It will grow into a full sized, "normal" tree, about 4m. Ideal for orchards, easy to mow underneath.

Mini Patio Tree: Only sold pot-grown, these use a dwarfing rootstock to drastically reduce the tree's vigour and restrict the mature size. They are suitable for large patio containers, and for small gardens where a normal-sized bush or half-standard form won't fit.

Guide to Fruit Tree Sizing.

7.5 to 12 litres are potted non-patio trees are not meant to be kept in pots; they will be fine for up to 12 months until planted in the ground. Keep well watered (but not soaked).