Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Description:

An exciting new development, this hybrid is prized for its tart nearly-black cherries in summer, excellent for jams and pies, as well as showy white flowers in spring; upright and rounded, the hardiest sour (pie) cherry yet

Edible Qualities

Carmine Jewel Cherry is a medium-sized shrub that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces crimson round fruit (technically 'drupes') with hints of deep purple and red flesh which are usually ready for picking in mid summer. Note that the fruits have hard inedible pits inside which must be removed before eating or processing. The fruits have a tart taste.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Baking
• Preserves

Features & Attributes

Carmine Jewel Cherry is draped in stunning clusters of fragrant white flowers along the branches in mid spring before the leaves. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn an outstanding yellow in the fall. The fruits are showy crimson drupes with hints of deep purple, which are carried in abundance in mid summer. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

This is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Carmine Jewel Cherry is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Carmine Jewel Cherry will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This shrub is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.