Cherry (Prunus) Lapins Cherokee™ Colt

If you only have room for one cherry tree, Lapins is hard to beat. This award-winning variety was bred in Canada from 'Van' and 'Stella' and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It is reliably self-fertile, so it crops well on its own, and it is also an excellent pollination partner for most other cherries. White spring blossom, a favourite with bees, is followed in late July by heavy crops of large, dark red cherries with sweet, juicy flesh. The fruit resists splitting better than many varieties.

Grown on Colt rootstock, Lapins makes a sturdy, semi-vigorous tree reaching around 4m at maturity. Annual pruning keeps it to a more manageable size, and it is well suited to fan-training against a sunny wall, which makes netting against birds easy. Plant in full sun in a sheltered spot, in fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Prune in summer after harvest rather than in winter, to reduce the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker. Don't worry if some green fruit drops in early summer; this is natural thinning, and the tree will still give a good crop. Fully hardy (RHS H6). The fruit is delicious, but the stones and leaves shouldn't be eaten, so keep those out of reach of children and pets.

Each tree is hand-selected before dispatch.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.