Prunus avium 'Kordia' (D)

RHS Plant Profile
cherry (sweet) 'Kordia'
Award of Garden MeritPlants for pollinators
Fruit Edible Trees

A mid-season sweet cherry producing a heavy yield of large, firm, black fruit with a good flavour. It has some resistance to cracking, is not self fertile, and is ready to pick in mid-summer

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
2.5-4 metres
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
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
Horticultural Group
Dessert cherries are sweet and juicy and are best eaten picked fresh and raw

How to Grow

Cultivation

The ideal position for sweet cherries is deep, fertile, well-drained, slightly acid soil in full sun. Cherries are best suited to fan-training so they can be netted against bird damage and the early blossom protected from frosts, though they can also be grown as small, open trees. See sweet cherry cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by chip budding or grafting onto clonal rootstock for fruit. Named varieties 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
  • Wall side borders

Pruning

Train fan-trained trees in spring. Prune established fans and carry out routine pruning on established cherry trees when harvesting the fruits in summer

Pests

Protect trees from birds that can damage buds and eat fruit. May suffer from 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