Kordia Cherry Trees

• Variety: Kordia, a large, firm, black sweet Cherry
• Latin name: Prunus avium 'Kordia'
• 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: Group D. Not self-fertile: it needs a partner, such as Stella
• Picking: July
• Fruit: Large, firm and black, with some resistance to cracking
• Pruning: In summer only
• Position: Full sun, sheltered
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H5, hardy through a cold winter
• RHS AGM: Yes (2014)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Kordia is a mid-season sweet Cherry with heavy crops of large, firm, black fruit that resists cracking in rain better than most. It is not self-fertile, so plant it with a partner such as Stella. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Kordia Cherry Trees

Kordia Cherry trees, called Attika in the USA, are popular with pick your own growers for their big crops of high quality fruit.
They're called black cherries, but they're really a very dark purple-red colour.
They're sweet, juicy and a good bit larger than most other cherries.

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

Growing Kordia 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 very good idea.
Only prune cherry trees in Summer.

Pollination Partners for Kordia Cherries:
Your trees must be pollinated to make really good crops.
Morello, Stella, Sunburst and Lapins Cherokee are all good pollination partners.

History & Trivia

We have two somewhat conflicting versions for the origin of this bigarreau-type cherry tree, which agree about it being Czech.

One story goes that it was discovered by chance in 1963 near Těchlovice and then trialled at the Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology, RBIP, in Holovousy.

The other says it was originally bred at RBIP in 1981.

Planting Companions

Kordia must have a partner, and the partners named above all do the job. Stella is the simplest, because it flowers in the same group D and is self-fertile, so it needs nothing in return. Our Cherry pollination chart shows every group. Cherries suit a fan on a sunny wall, where they are easy to net: see our guide to training fruit trees on wires. 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 Kordia 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 Kordia need a pollination partner?

Yes. The RHS states that Kordia is not self-fertile. It flowers in group D, and Stella, which is self-fertile and in the same group, is the partner our fruit reference names.

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.

When are Kordia Cherries ripe?

In July. The RHS describes it as a mid-season Cherry, ready to pick in midsummer.

Do Kordia Cherries split in the rain?

Less than most. The RHS notes that the fruit has some resistance to cracking, which is one reason commercial growers like it.

When do you prune a Cherry?

In summer only, after picking. Winter cuts let in silver leaf and canker.

Does it hold an RHS award?

Yes. It has held the Award of Garden Merit since 2014, and it is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

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.