Lapins cherry trees

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• Picking season: Mid
• Self-fertility: Self-fertile

Perhaps the best all-round sweet cherry for the UK. Easy to grow, with heavy crops of good-flavoured cherries.

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Lapins cherry trees for sale

Choose a size - pot-grown

All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.

• PG12-year bush-trained 11.5L pot-grown tree, Gisela 5 rootstock£64.50
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

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• PG22-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree, Colt rootstock£58.75
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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Choose a size - bare-root

• BR11-year bare-root tree,Gisela 5 rootstock£45.50
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

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• BR21-year bare-root tree,Colt rootstock£40.50
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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• BR32-year bush-trained bare-root tree,Colt rootstock£47.25
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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• BR42-year half-standard bare-root tree,Colt rootstock£51.00
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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Need help?

Ask our fruit tree experts on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Next deliveries

Delivery from week commencing 16th February 2026 onwards.

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

All about Lapins cherry trees

Lapins is a large dark red juicy cherry with a mild sweet/sharp flavour, and will appeal to those who like cherries but prefer a milder flavour.

It is one of the best cherry varieties for the UK garden, heavy cropping, quite vigorous, and easy to grow.

Lapins is self-fertile and can be considered an improved Stella (which is one of its parents). It is well-regarded by commercial growers because it crops reliably and the fruit is large and of good quality.

Growing and Training

Lapins is one of the modern self-fertile cherries developed in Canada, and a very good pollinator for other early-flowering varieties - its flowering period is typically around 10-12 days ahead of Stella.

It is one of the heavier-cropping cherries, and comes into bearing at an early age - therefore a good choice if you want a large cherry tree on the Colt rootstock.

It grows with a characteristic habit - noticeably more upright than the spreading form of most cherries.

Lapins responds well to fruit thinning and/or measures to encourage growth and leaf production. This improves fruit quality and fruit size.

Lapins requires very little winter chilling hours and is therefore a good variety for warmer climates.

For UK growers, the main requirement is to make sure it is planted in a sheltered spot in full sun.

History

Lapins was developed by Dr. Charles Lapins of the Summerland research station in British Columbia, Canada during the 1960s and 1970s, and released in 1984. It is sometimes known as Cherokee. It was developed from Van x Stella, in the same breeding programme that also led to Sunburst (also Van x Stella).

British-grown trees

Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.

All our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. Find out more.

Guaranteed fruit trees

When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden while it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund, subject to some conditions. Find out more.

More about cherry trees

Sweet cherry varieties can be classified into two groups: old traditional English varieties, and modern varieties. 

The traditional English varieties are in fact mostly of central European origin (and have very un-English names) but were the mainstay of cherry orchards in Kent in the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. These varieties are typified by good traditional cherry flavours, but they often have complicated pollination requirements.

Modern cherry development  began at the Summerland research station in British Columbia, Canada, in the 1940s. The most famous of these new varieties is Stella but there are many others such as Sweetheart, Sunburst, and Celeste. While they lack the tradition and romance associated with the older English varieties, the flavours are still excellent and their self-fertility and easier horticultural characteristics make them a much better choice for the gardener with space for only one or two cherry trees.

Sweet cherry trees like sun, so choose a sunny aspect when planting. Cherry trees do not need much attention as they grow, a simple mulch to keep the area free of weeds is sufficient. Once fruiting begins the mulch remains important, and should be extended to match the spread of the branches, because it acts as a sponge and therefore helps prevent fruit-splitting after heavy downpours. You should also apply compost and/or manure during the winter to supply the tree with the nutrients it needs for growth and fruiting. Unlike with other stone fruit such as plums, cherries do not need to be thinned.

The other main horticultural challenge is bird protection. It's a foregone conclusion that birds will get your cherry crop before you do, because they are prepared to eat slightly un-ripe cherries whereas we are not. However the simple precaution of netting the trees just before the harvest will solve this problem - on very large and inaccessible trees drape a net over some of the lower branches, allowing the birds to take their share from the higher branches.

Some other terms that often arise with cherries:

• 'Bigarreau cherries'. This means a firm-fleshed sweet cherry variety (as opposed to a soft flesh).
• 'Heart cherries'. Whilst most cherries are spherical, many have a distinct heart-like shape.
• 'White cherries'. This refers to the flesh rather than the skin colour. While most cherries have a dark flesh, white cherries have a white or pale yellow flesh. Most white cherries are old traditional varieties.