Lapins Cherokee™ Cherry Trees

• Variety: Lapins Cherokee, a big, sweet, dark red Cherry
• Latin name: Prunus avium 'Lapins'
• Use: Eating fresh
• Sold as: Bareroot maiden, bush and half-standard
• Rootstock: Colt
• Mature size: Kept at 3 to 4m. 4 to 5m if left unpruned
• Pollination: Self-fertile. Flowering group C
• Picking: July
• Pruning: In summer only
• Position: Full sun
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Award: RHS Award of Garden Merit (2014)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Lapins Cherokee gives heavy crops of big, sweet, dark red Cherries in July, and it is self-fertile, so one tree is enough. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

Lapins Cherokee™ Cherry Trees

'Lapins Cherokee™' big, sweet dark cherries on a self-fertile tree. A great choice if you only have room for one cherry.

Lapins Cherokee cherry trees usually drop a lot of fruit while the cherries are still green: this is normal. You will still get a good crop in the end.

Browse our range of cherry trees or see the full variety of fruit trees.

Pollination Partners for Lapins Cherokee Cherries:
Lapins Cherokee will make good crops all by itself.
It flowers in group C. Every group is on our Cherry Tree pollination table.

Rootstocks:
Our Lapins Cherokee cherry trees are all grown on "Colt" rootstocks.
Maximum height 4 to 5 metres.

Growing Lapins Cherokee Cherry Trees:
Rich soil is important: dig in plenty of good manure and compost before planting.
Soil drainage must be good.
The more sun your trees get the better your crops will be.
Cherry trees are targets for birds, so netting them is a good idea.
Only prune cherry trees in Summer.

Planting Companions

Sweetheart is self-fertile too and ripens much later, in late summer and early autumn, so the two give you Cherries for longer. Stella is another self-fertile Cherry. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Fruit Trees?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Lapins Cherokee Cherry tree is grafted onto Colt rootstock, and maidens are pre-pruned before despatch for the form you choose. Bareroot trees are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lapins Cherokee need a pollination partner?

No. It is self-fertile, so a single tree will crop on its own. It flowers in group C.

How big does the tree grow?

On Colt rootstock you can keep it at 3 to 4 metres with pruning. Left alone, it grows to 4 or 5 metres.

When are the Cherries ripe?

In July. The fruit is large, dark red and sweet.

Why does it drop fruit while it is still green?

It is normal for Lapins, and you will still get a good crop in the end.

When do you prune a Cherry tree?

In summer, after picking, and never in winter, when a cut is most likely to let disease in.

How do you stop the birds taking them?

Net it. A Cherry grown as a fan on a sunny wall is the easiest to net.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your tree is lifted and sent once the season opens.