The Crafty Cultivator

I don’t have a tree post lined up for today, but I figured I would start adding the fruit we planted as well. So today is Nanking Cherries. I don’t remember the exact amount of plants we ended up planting, but there was a few. Mostly because they were rescues and would otherwise have been burnt. So the big test will be this spring to see how many have survived. Then I’ll let you know how many we have. Although, I did put one in my own yard, and all the rest out at my parents place.

They are self fertile, but are also a pollinator for the ‘Brookgold’ Plum tree that we planted.  Because of this, we made sure to put one of the Nanking cherry plants near that Plum tree.

Nankings are a nice way to add some beautiful spring colour. They have beautiful delicate white blooms (or pink, if you can find the pink variety). The bees and pollinators will love it in the early spring, and you (and the birds and probably squirrels) will love it later in the summer when you get the wonderfully tart little cherries. The fruit is typically ready in the early-mid summer.

I’ll keep you posted on how they survived the winter (if it ever ends), and how they grow this year. I didn’t find any pictures we took of them after planting, and I would add one of the Nanking Cherry that I have in my own yard right now… but it is under a 3 foot pile of snow, and you can’t really see any of it. So this is yet another boring no-photo post.

• Latin Name: ‘Prunus tomentosa’
• Mature Height: 8 feet
• Spread: 6 feet

If you have any hints, tips, advice, stories or recipes for Nanking Cherries, share them in the comments below .