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Sweetheart cherry trees

Sweetheart
Sweetheart has received the RHS Award of Garden MeritSweetheart is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Late Early August
  • Self-fertility: Self-fertile
  • Awards: RHS AGM (current) 2014
Sweetheart is one of the best-flavoured late-season cherries for the UK climate.

Sweetheart cherry trees for sale

Pot-grown

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

  • PG12-year bush-trained 11.5L pot-grown tree Gisela 5 rootstock £63.00
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • PG22-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree Colt rootstock £57.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • PG3Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree Colt rootstock £61.50< 5 in stock
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root tree Gisela 5 rootstock SALE £44.00(was £47.00)
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
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  • BR2Spindlebush bare-root tree Gisela 6 rootstock SALE £50.50(was £54.50)
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
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  • BR31-year bare-root tree Colt rootstock SALE £37.00(was £40.50)
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
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  • BR42-year bush-trained bare-root tree Colt rootstock SALE £45.00(was £49.00)
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
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  • BR52-year half-standard bare-root tree Colt rootstock £53.00
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
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Next deliveries

Order now for delivery from week commencing 25th March onwards where these items are showing as in stock.

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95. It is calculated when you add trees to your basket, based on your postcode.

Sweetheart has all the characteristic flavour elements of a good sweet cherry, predominantly sweet, but not at all sugary, with an underlying hint (no more than that) of bitter sharpness. The flavour is arguably richer than is usual amongst cherries. To get the best flavour, pick when fully ripe and eat immediately. We think all sweet cherries are best when eaten slightly cool, but not chilled.

Sweetheart is also self-fertile, and ripens very late in the cherry season - well into August in the UK.

Another useful characteristic is that the picking period is longer than most, because ripening is uneven - meaning you don't get the inevitable glut which is a feature of other varieties.

How to grow

Sweetheart is a precocious sweet cherry, and starts to bear fruit relatively young - you may get fruit within a 2-3 of years of planting, whereas most cherries will start to bear fruit after about 3-4 years.

The main thing to look out for is its tendency to set too much fruit after the blossom season (a common problem with all the self-fertile varieties). You may need to thin the fruitlets just after the blossom has finished. Sweetheart responds well to thinning, which leads to better flavour and larger fruit size.

The other side of its tendency to over-crop is that Sweetheart produces a lot of blossom and looks very attractive in the spring.

Overall this is an excellent late-season cherry for the sunnier areas of the UK.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Sweetheart was developed by the Summerland Research Station, British Columbia, Canada and released in 1990. It is a cross between Van and Newstar.

Sweetheart characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersGood
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates

Using

  • Picking seasonLate
  • CroppingHeavy
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-3 days
  • Food usesEating fresh

Identification

  • Country of originCanada
  • Period of origin1950 - 1999
  • Blossom colourWhite
  • Fruit colourRed
  • AwardsRHS AGM (current)