Cherry ‘Stella’

‘Stella’ is a self-fertile dessert cherry, raised in Canada in the 1960s, and one of the first truly self-pollinating sweet cherries. A single tree will crop heavily on its own, which makes it the best choice for a small garden where there’s only room for one cherry.

Large fruits ripen to a dark red in early to mid July, with sweet juicy flesh that’s delicious eaten straight off the tree. White blossom in April is pretty in its own right.

Plant in full sun in moist, well-drained soil. Prune in midsummer only, to avoid silver leaf. Netting against birds is often needed as the fruits ripen. Works well as a fan trained against a wall in smaller gardens.

A firm favourite for a kitchen garden, a family orchard, or a trained fan on a sunny wall.