Alphabetical Plant Listing

Prunus avium 'Stella' (Sweet Cherry)

Sweet Cherry 'Stella', Stella Sweet Cherry


Self-fertile, award-winning Prunus avium 'Stella' is a medium-sized cherry tree of pyramidal habit boasting an abundance of sweetly scented white flowers clustered along the branches in mid-spring. They are followed by a bountiful crop of large, heart-shaped, dark red cherries in early-mid summer. The cherries have a sweet, rich flavor with a good texture but tend to crack in wet weather. They are excellent for eating fresh, canning, or preserves. Its spreading canopy is adorned all summer long with smooth, lustrous, dark green leaves. Stella does not require a pollinator but is a good pollinator for almost any other variety. A very popular cherry cultivar in both commercial and home orchards.

  • Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society.
  • Grows up to 15-20 ft. tall and wide (450-600 cm) at maturity.
  • Performs best in full sun in moist, relatively fertile, well-drained soils. Sweet cherries are best suited to fan-training, so they can be netted against bird damage and protected from frosts.
  • This cherry tree has a chill hours requirement of 600 (hours of temperatures below 45ºF (7ºC) in the winter for their buds to open in the spring)
  • Train fan-trained trees in spring. Prune established fans and carry out routine pruning on established cherry trees when harvesting the fruits in summer. Dead, weak, or unnecessary branches can be pruned annually in late winter or early spring. Otherwise, little or no pruning is needed.
  • Protect from birds that damage buds and eat the fruit. May suffer from aphids, caterpillars, leaf-mining moths, winter moth caterpillars, silver leaf, bacterial canker, and blossom wilt.
  • Propagate by chip budding or grafting on clonal rootstock for fruit.
  • Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.
  • Prunus avium species is native to Asia and Europe.
  • Find where this species is invasive in the United States.
  • Discover beautiful U.S. native plant alternatives.

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Requirements

Hardiness 5 – 8
Heat Zones 1 – 8
Climate Zones 2, 2A, 2B, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15
Plant Type Fruit, Trees
Plant Family Prunus - Fruit Trees, Cherries
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid)
Summer (Early,Mid)
Height 15' – 20' (4.5m – 6m)
Spread 15' – 20' (4.5m – 6m)
Water Needs Average
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy
Attracts Birds, Butterflies
Garden Uses Beds and Borders, Wall-Side Borders
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow, Traditional Garden

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Guides with Prunus - Fruit Trees


By Aleksandr Shilov, Shutterstockc

While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.


Requirements

Hardiness 5 – 8
Heat Zones 1 – 8
Climate Zones 2, 2A, 2B, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15
Plant Type Fruit, Trees
Plant Family Prunus - Fruit Trees, Cherries
Exposure Full Sun
Season of Interest Spring (Mid)
Summer (Early,Mid)
Height 15' – 20' (4.5m – 6m)
Spread 15' – 20' (4.5m – 6m)
Water Needs Average
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pH Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil Drainage Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained
Characteristics Fragrant, Plant of Merit, Showy
Attracts Birds, Butterflies
Garden Uses Beds and Borders, Wall-Side Borders
Garden Styles Informal and Cottage, Prairie and Meadow, Traditional Garden

Guides with Prunus - Fruit Trees

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