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Re: [nafex] Exploring Not Quite Cherries
Title: Re: [nafex] Exploring Not Quite
Cherries
Here's some info about bush cherries that may be useful in
sorting out the various kinds that are available. There are
several kinds of bush cherries that northern growers may want to
try:
Nanking, Chinese bush, or Manchu cherry, Prunus
tomentosa (cultivar examples are 'Orient' and 'Drilea')--this
cherry, generally only available as seedlings, is fully hardy in
Minnesota and much appreciated for its fruit, which make fantastic
preserves. Fruit holds well on the bush after it ripens.
Unfortunately birds are crazy for the fruit and one just about has to
cover the bushes with netting to be able to beat the birds to it.
The bushes generally grow about 6-9 ft. tall. Fruit of the
cultivars ranges from 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch in diameter.
Mongollian cherry, Prunus fruiticosa, is probably even
hardier than Nanking cherry. In the far north prairie provinces,
it is about the only cherry-like fruit that can be grown. It is
to my knowledge only available as seedlings, not cultivars. The
plant is short, growing about 2-4 ft. tall, and the crimson fruit is
smaller than that of Nanking cherry. The plants sucker
profusely. The proprieter or St. Lawrence Nurseries says this
bush cherry makes the best of all preserves.
Western
sand cherry, Prunus besseyi, is intermediate in heght
between P. tomentosa and P. fruiticosa. It is
generally available as seedlings of the Hansen's Improved Bush Cherry,
selected by Prof. N.E. Hansen of South Dakota State University in the
1930s and 1940s. However, some nurseries sell cutlivars
(examples are 'Brookings', 'Black Beauty', 'Manmoor' and 'Ruby').
Fruit is generally a dark, reddish black when ripe, although some
cultivars have yellow fruit. Size of the fruit of these
cultivars is about 3/4 inch in diameter.
'Jan',
'Joy' and 'Joel' are selections of the Korean bush cherry (actually a
plum), Prunus japonica , made by Prof. Elwyn Meader of the
Univesity of New Hampshire. The plants grow 3-5 ft. tall and the
red, cherry-like fruits can be used in pies. The fruit is
slightly less than 1/2 inch in diameter, and ripens in late summer,
when bird pressure is considerably reduced. These cultivars are
not self fertilie; polliinate 'Jan' or 'Joy' with 'Joel'.--Sam
Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn.
While ordering flats and whatnot, I
succumbed to a saleslady's wiles,
and found myself ordering a nanking cherry, as well. It arrived
the
other day, looking pretty dead (or VERY dormant??) and I put it in
the
ground. But then I got to thinking. . .
There are other bush cherries out there. I doubt this one will
make it,
but the spot I put it in would look nice with a flowing shrub. .
.and
wouldn't it be great if it had edible fruit? Now I really
like
cherries. I like sweet cherries. I like sour cherries,
eaten fresh. I
used to live near some non-eating cherry (maybe a black cherry)
that
dropped little fruits - a full-sized pit covered with about 3mm of
black
flesh. It was sweet and bitter and very cherry, and I enjoyed
them a
lot, although there wasn't enough fruit on them to do anything more
than
chew on a few as I wandered past. So sour/bitter/seedy doesn't
deter
me, and I don't mind attracting birds. But I would like to be
able to
nibble at it myself, and I'd like something short and bushy.
Does anyone have experience with any of the bush cherries? St.
Lawrence
Nurseries offers a whole page of different ones (sand cherry,
dwarf
ground cherry, Jan-joel-joy cherries, nanking cherries.) Which
might do
best with less-than-full sun - (bright shade for most of the day)?
The
spot is just downhill from a white pine, and is probably acid, too.
My
plan is to squeeze two into one large hole for pollination.
Thanks,
Ginda Fisher
eastern Mass. zone 6
Where we went from 90 to below freezing in two days. (Little
visible
damage, blooms still blooming away.)
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