What Cherry Trees to Grow in Colorado

Fruit growing in the Colorado high plains is a challenge for the home orchardist. Eastern and western Colorado have different climates, so sour cherries are more reliable in colder eastern Colorado, sweet cherries in western Colorado, according to Colorado State University Extension experts. There are a variety of sours and sweets to choose from, including genetic dwarf forms. The basic difference between sour and sweet cherries -- besides taste -- is that most sweet cherries need another tree for pollination. All sour cherries are "self-fruitful" or self-fertilize.

Montmorency's advantage for the home orchardist is that it produces fruit at an early age. It's the old standard for sour pie cherries and is vigorous, productive and self-fruitful. A profusion of white flowers open in spring, followed by medium-sized, tangy, yellow-fleshed cherries in July. Frost hardy and well able to withstand cold, the tree will grow to 15 feet with a 10 foot spread so it needs a bit of room.

North Star is a very productive 12-foot cross between a Siberian and English Morello cherry. Hardy in Zone 4, it withstands temperatures down to minus 25 degrees, according to the Parker Colorado Water and Sanitation District, which recommends city plantings. A dependable and plentiful producer of yellow-fleshed, juicy fruit, it blooms in May, and fruit is ready for picking by early July. You can expect to pick up to 15 quarts of fruit from a mature dwarf tree, according to the National Gardening Association. North Star is self-fruitful but does not cross-pollinate sweet cherries.

Nanking is an 8-foot shrubby tree with fruit similar to a standard sour pie cherry. Hardy to Zone 3 and extremely cold tolerant, it stands up to drying winter winds across the plains. Plant it in well-drained soil for best results. Hansen forms a 6-foot shrub with small purplish-black fruit usually used for cooking or preserves. Both make good fruiting hedges or screens for homeowners who want edible landscaping.

Expect a harvest of 30 to 50 quarts from a mature sweet cherry tree, according to National Gardening Society experts. Try Stella for a high yield of large juicy fruit ripening in July. Hardy to Zone 5, standard Stella reaches 15 feet, semi-dwarf Stella is only 10 feet. Stella is resistant to splitting, an important consideration where winters are not warm and dry. Stella produces cherries without another cherry tree for pollination and makes a good pollinator for other sweet cherries whose bloom periods overlap.

Knowing your bloom time is a requirement for growing cross-pollinated sweet cherries. If your cherries don't bloom together there will be no pollination and no fruit. For instance, Van is a heavy sweet cherry producer that ripens from June to July and is recommended for Colorado's western side. To get fruit set you'd need to grow Stella, a self-fruitful variety, or another sweet cherry with the same bloom period to pollinate Van. Van will pollinate other sweet cherries whose bloom periods overlap.