Plant Guide

Other Names:  Sweet Cherry, Mazzard Cherry

Description:

A highly desirable fruit tree with many attributes; small and compact, ideal for home landscapes and backyard orchards, produces sweet and juicy deep purple cherries in late summer (be prepared to fight the birds!), with showy white flowers in spring

Edible Qualities

Stella Cherry is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces dark red round fruit (technically 'drupes') with crimson flesh which are usually ready for picking in mid summer. Note that the fruits have hard inedible pits inside which must be removed before eating or processing. The fruits have a sweet taste and a firm texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves

Features & Attributes

Stella Cherry is clothed in stunning clusters of fragrant white flowers hanging below the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy dark red drupes carried in abundance from mid to late summer. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up. The smooth dark red bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

This is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Stella Cherry is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Stella Cherry will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This tree is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.