My yard is tiny. As an avid gardener, I’m always trying to pack the most productive plants in the smallest spaces as possible. I’ve been wanting to grow cherries for a long time, however, most dwarf trees get rather large, and most bush cherries have tiny fruits.
Carmine Jewel Romance Cherry
A new series of cherry tree called the Romance Series developed by the University of Saskatchewan is the solution to my cherry problems. These trees have extreme cold-hardiness up to zone 2. They grow about 5ft tall and have a bush habit, although you can train to be a small tree. Fruiting begins at about 3 years, and once mature at about 4-5 years, a single bush can produce 10-30lbs of cherries. One report from U of SK said that some growers reported 75lbs from one bush! These bushes are prairie plants so require very little water, fertilizer, and pruning. They grow on their own roots, so they are very hard to kill. They seem to do best with lots and lots of neglect. My perfect plant. . .
I ordered three Carmine Jewel seedlings. Carmine Jewel is one of the first developed of the Romance Series of trees. The fruit is medium sized, very dark red throughout, and have a brix score of 17 which is sweeter than some sweet cherries. I can’t wait until the cherry pies.