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Fruit EdibleTrees

Prunus avium 'Sylvia' (F)

cherry (sweet) 'Sylvia'

A mid- to late-season, sweet cherry producing white spring blossom, then a good crop of large, firm, dark red fruit of good flavour which is resistant to splitting. This is a naturally dwarf cultivar, forming a neat column; suitable for growing in a large container. It is partially self-fertile, but crops better with a pollination partner

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

The ideal position for sweet cherries is deep, fertile, well-drained, slightly acid soil in full sun. See sweet cherry cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by chip budding or grafting on clonal rootstock for fruit. Named cultivars will not come true from seed

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Wildlife gardens
Edible fruit

Pruning

Little or no pruning required as naturally dwarf, but can be carried out when harvesting the fruits in summer

Pests

May be susceptible to bird damage, cherry blackfly and other aphids, leaf-mining moths, pear and cherry slugworm, winter moth and other caterpillars. Spotted-wing drosophila, a fruit fly, is likely to become an increasing problem

Diseases

May be susceptible to peach leaf curl, silver leaf, bacterial canker, blossom wilt and honey fungus

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