Enjoy sweet cherries from your own garden with this fan-trained Prunus avium ‘Stella’. Its spreading framework is ideal for training against a sunny wall or fence, bringing spring blossom and a summer harvest to a productive garden feature. ‘Stella’ is self-fertile, so you do not need a second cherry variety for pollination.

Why we like it

• Sweet, dark red cherries for eating fresh from the tree.
• Self-fertile: a useful choice when you have room for just one cherry tree.
• A fan-trained shape that makes good use of wall or fence space.

What to know

• Plant in full sun in a sheltered position, ideally against a south- or west-facing wall or fence, in fertile, well-drained soil.
• Provide permanent support wires and tie branches in gently to maintain the fan shape; keep the graft union above soil level.
• Water regularly while establishing and during dry spells, and mulch in spring, keeping mulch clear of the trunk.
• Cherries usually ripen in July; protect blossom from late frost and use wildlife-safe netting to protect ripening fruit. Prolonged rain near harvest can cause splitting.
• Prune established trees in summer after harvesting. Avoid winter pruning to reduce the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker.

Flower colour: White.

Flowering months: AprilMay, depending on weather.

Harvest: July, depending on the season.

Height and Spread: Allow approximately 200300 cm height and 300400 cm spread for a maintained fan. These are planning dimensions rather than a guaranteed mature size: eventual growth depends on rootstock, growing conditions and pruning. Rootstock is not specified for this plant.