'Morello' Sour Cherry Trees

• Variety: Morello, the sour Cherry for cooking
• Latin name: Prunus cerasus 'Morello'
• Use: Pies, jam and preserves. Freezes well
• Sold as: Bareroot maiden, bush and half-standard. Pot-grown bush and half-standard
• Rootstock: Colt
• Mature size: Kept at 3 to 4m. 4 to 5m if left unpruned
• Pollination: Group D. Self-fertile: one tree crops alone
• Picking: Late July and August
• Position: Sun or partial shade. Crops on a north-facing wall
• Soil: Rich, moist and well-drained
• Pruning: In summer only, after fruiting
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS AGM: Yes (1993)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Morello is the sour cooking Cherry for pies, jam and preserves, with dark red fruit in late July and August. It is self-fertile, holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit, and is the fruit tree that crops on a north-facing wall. On Colt rootstock you can keep it at 3 to 4 metres.

'Morello' Sour Cherry Trees

Morello is the best sour cooking cherry for the UK, perfect for pies, jams or making alcohol.
Smaller than their sweet cousins, they're ripe for cooking when they turn dark red.
If you leave them on the branch until they're almost black, you can try eating them fresh: they're very acidic and not to everyone's taste.

The trees flower very late & tend to avoid late spring frosts.
They're recommended for Scotland and the North, as long as they get a half-decent dose of sun. They'll fruit well on shadier north facing walls in the South.

Browse our range of cherry trees, or all our fruit trees.

Delivery season: Bareroot plants are delivered from late autumn to spring, November to April. Pot grown plants, year round.

Pollination Partners:
Morello is reliably self fertile, makes fruit all by itself, and it's a good pollinator for Kordia.

Rootstocks:
Our Morello cherry trees are all grown on "Colt" rootstocks.
Height: kept at 3 to 4 metres with pruning, 4 to 5 metres if left.

Growing Morello Cherries:

Rich, well drained soil is ideal: dig in plenty of good manure and compost before planting.
The more sun your trees get, the better your crops will be, but Morello is good for growing as a fan against a North-facing wall.
Cherry trees are targets for birds, so netting them is a good idea.

Prune cherries in summer.
They fruit best on one-year-old wood, so yearly pruning to remove fruited wood and encourage new growth will give you the best crops.

History & Trivia

An old Kentish breed.
Before WW2, there were several sour cherry varieties in orchards, but today this is the only commercial variety, thanks to its disease resistance and good performance in poorer soil.

Cherry Tree Delivery Shapes:

Most of our fruit trees are delivered in up to 3 shapes (maiden, bush, and half standard), and you can buy selected varieties as potted mini patio trees: scroll up to see what's in stock.

Maiden: Unbranched tree, the most basic starting size, which you can train into the other forms (apart from mini patio trees).
Bush: Freestanding tree with a short trunk about 60cm tall. It'll grow to about 3m. Ideal for small gardens.
Half-Standard: A freestanding form with a trunk about 120cm tall. It'll grow into a full sized, "normal" cherry tree, about 4m. Ideal for orchards, easy to mow underneath.

Guide to Fruit Tree Sizing.

Planting Companions

Morello needs no partner, so you can choose its company for the kitchen. Stella and Sunburst are self-fertile sweet Cherries for eating fresh, and they want your sunniest wall while Morello takes the shady one. See all our Cherry trees. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Buy Your Cherry Tree from Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Morello Cherry is grafted onto Colt rootstock, and maidens are pre-pruned before despatch. Bareroot trees are guaranteed for 12 months, and so is a potted tree delivered leafless between November and March.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Morello need a pollination partner?

No. It is reliably self-fertile, so one tree crops on its own. It flowers in group D.

Will Morello really fruit on a north-facing wall?

Yes. The RHS says it crops on a north-facing site, and recommends fan-training it against a south, west or north wall. It is the fruit tree for the wall that gets little sun.

How big does the tree grow?

On Colt rootstock, you can keep it at 3 to 4 metres with pruning. Left alone, it reaches 4 to 5 metres. Fan-trained on a wall, it stays as big as the wall.

When and how do you prune it?

In summer, after fruiting, never in winter. Acid Cherries fruit best on one-year-old wood, so cut out some fruited wood each year to bring on new shoots.

Can you eat Morello Cherries raw?

Only if you like sharp fruit. Left on the branch until almost black, they sweeten a little, but this is a Cherry for cooking, freezing and bottling.

Can you grow Morello in a pot?

For a few years, with work. Start with one of our pot-grown trees in a large container, and expect to water it often. It is happier in the ground or on a wall.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot trees are delivered from November to April, while they are dormant. Pot-grown trees can be delivered and planted in any month when you find them in stock.