Cherry Trees

This is one of the most common questions we get asked. It can be hard to differentiate between a fruiting cherry and a purely ornamental tree unless you know what variety it is, especially when young. The fact is, all cherry trees will produce fruit, and all of it is edible, but some are so bitter you wouldn't want to eat it. As a rule of thumb, the better the blossom in spring, the less likely you can eat the cherries. Edible cherries are composed mainly of sour cherry trees (Prunus cerasus) and sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium) sometimes referred to as wild cherry, or as the name suggests, bird cherries. Flowering cherry blossom trees have been bred over centuries specifically for their blossom and so the fruit may be very small and won’t have a good taste. Be careful of wild cherries or black cherries as these may need to be cooked and always try to identify the tree before eating them.