Prunus cerasus ‘North Star’ (Tart Cherry)

Cold-hardy, Prunus cerasus ‘North Star’ is a dwarf cherry tree of sturdy, vase-shaped habit with upright, spreading branches. In late spring, it boasts an abundance of white flowers in clusters along the branches. They are followed by a heavy crop of large, light red fruits of excellent quality in early-mid summer. They resist cracking and hang for a long time after they are ripe. They are excellent for pies and sauces. The canopy of leathery, elliptic, dark green leaves turns attractive shades of orange in the fall. Self-fertile, this cherry tree does not require a pollinator but for better cross-pollination, planting several trees is recommended. Disease-resistant to brown rot and leaf spot.

• Grows up to 8-10 ft. tall (240-300 cm) and 6-8 ft. wide (180-240 cm) at maturity.
• Performs best in full sun in moist, relatively fertile, well-drained soils. Relatively easy to grow and widely adaptable.
• This cherry tree has a chill hours requirement of 1000 (hours of temperatures below 45ºF (7ºC) in the winter for their buds to open in the spring)
• Tart cherry trees need pruning both for training the young plants and for maintaining good yield on mature ones. Train in early to mid-spring and once trained, prune after fruiting.
• Protect from birds that damage buds and eat the fruit. May suffer from aphids, winter moth caterpillars, pear and cherry slugworm, silver leaf, bacterial canker, brown rot, and blossom wilt.
• Propagate by chip budding or grafting on clonal rootstock for fruit.
• Prunus cerasus species is native to Europe and Asia. Occasionally, it forms stands, displacing native species in some areas of the U.S.
• Find where this species is invasive in the United States.