Unlike our other cherries, Morello is an acid-cherry or sour-cherry (Prunus cerasus) rather than a sweet-cherry, and is grown primarily for use in the kitchen. If you want to make cherry pies, cherry crumbles, or jams and preserves, this is the cherry variety to choose - when cooked it has a strong rich cherry flavour.
Unlike sweet cherries, Morello will grow almost anywhere. The fruits are smaller than modern dessert cherries, looking more like small seedless grapes. Morello cherries can be eaten fresh when very ripe (at which point they have a sharp-sweet flavour). Morello is also an excellent pollinator of most other cherry varieties.
Most acid cherries such as Morello contain melatonin, a natural anti-oxidant substance which is also involved in regulating sleeping and wakefullness.
**All prices include delivery (except certain fan-trained or espalier-trained trees). We offer a discount on orders of multiple bare-root trees for delivery at the same time - this will be shown at the checkout.
Fan-trained and Espalier trees: Prices of these trees do NOT include delivery as these require special delivery arrangements - click here for details.
Delivery period: Pot-grown trees can be delivered from September onwards. Bare-root trees can be delivered from mid-November onwards. Within those periods you can specify your preferred month of delivery during the checkout process. It is best to order as soon as you can to ensure items are reserved for you.
*Mature heights: Height shown is the approximate height of the tree when mature (after 5-10 years), not the height when supplied. See photos of trees as supplied. Actual mature heights may vary considerably dependent on your local conditions and training and pruning regime.
Stock availability: Items showing as 'sold out' will probably be available again next season. If you would like to reserve in advance use our enquiry form - this does not commit you to anything.
Morello is self-fertile and does not need a pollination partner, although fruiting may be improved if there is a compatible tree of a different variety nearby.
Our online pollination checker lists suitable pollination partners for this variety.
More advice about pollination.
Whilst sweet cherries really need a sunny aspect, acid-cherries are far less demanding. Morello can be grown on a north-facing wall if necessary, and is hardy and reliable. It is self-fertile, and the blossom is relatively late, so the risk of frost-damage is slight.
Acid cherries arguably produce better-looking trees than sweet cherries too. If you need to prune, do so in spring to reduce the risk of bacterial canker, and note that Morello fruits mainly on new shoots which grew the previous summer. However as with all cherries and plums, it is best to avoid pruning if you can.
The blossom of Morello cherry is particularly long-lasting and compatible, making it an excellent pollinator of most other cherries (sweet or sour).
Planting instructions.
Pruning instructions.
Morello cherries have been grown in the UK since the early 17th century, but the origins are unknown.
