I planted a bareroot 'Sunburst' cherry tree in the spring of 2009. It was grafted on Gisela dwarfing rootstock and expected to reach a height of 3-4 metres when fully grown. 'Sunburst' is a dessert cherry and has large, almost black fruit. Some say it is sweeter and has a more intense flavour than 'Stella'.
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| 'Y' shaped sapling standing proud in 6" of snow |
It pulled through the coldest UK winter in 31 years and burst forth with blossoms this spring.
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| White cherry blossoms |
I eagerly anticipated a tree laden with juicy black fruit. The weather got warmer, the petals fluttered to the ground, the fruitlet dropped off...... leaving............
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| Just two! |
Hoping that the birds and squirrels would leave these alone, I watched the colour change.....
Ooh yes, I did get to taste the fruit and it was absolutely divine - the rich flavour of the almost black, juicy fruit was worth the wait. Note to self: water and fertilise regularly = bumper crop next year!
