Prunus Avium Kordia Fruiting Cherry

Prunus Avium Kordia is a deciduous fruiting cherry tree that produces masses of large extremely dark black cherries with a delicious sweet taste. Sweet Cherry Kordia is a new variety of upright cherry tree with split-resistant fruits that are larger than average and have the darkest skin. Kordia is also commercially grown and very popular with gardeners in general.

In spring new green foliage appears on the tips of branches unfurling into oval veined and textured leaves. This is swiftly followed by Kordia’s spring blossom that emerges a bright delicate white with each bloom containing five petals and yellow stamens. The blossom is sweetly scented and creates a snowy display that is loved by pollinators.

Kordia is one of the later fruiting cherries, so when paired with an earlier fruiter, such as Sweet Cherry Merchant, you can extend your cherry growing season. Sweet Cherry Kordia is prized for having the darkest shiny fruits that are tough enough to resist summer rain but don’t impair its sweetly tart taste. For its beauty and reliability, the Kordia cherry tree has received the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Height and Spread of Prunus Avium Kordia
Cherry tree height and spread depends on the rootstock, but the maximum mature height of Prunus Avium Kordia is three to seven metres with a spread of three to four. It can easily be kept smaller with regular pruning.

How Hardy is Prunus Avium Kordia
Sweet Cherry Kordia is hardy throughout the UK if it is grown in well drained soil, but as with all cherries, the blossom needs protection from late frosts. However, it is a later flowering variety which affords some protection from unexpected spring frosts. It also has excellent disease resistance.

How To Use Prunus Avium Kordia
This is a pretty ornamental tree for the centre of the lawn, or as a fruiting tree in a large border or hedgerow. Cherries are loved by bees, butterflies and birds, so it suits a wildlife garden, but if you want to eat the fruits yourself you may need to net them as they are very popular with wildlife. You can also grow Kordia in a container on the patio, or fan train it along a sunny wall. Its fruits can be eaten straight from the tree or used for cooking.

How To Care For Prunus Avium Kordia
Prunus Avium Kordia will need a pollinating partner to produce fruits, so its best paired with a different cherry variety such Prunus Avium Sunburst or Prunus Avium Stella. It is tolerant of most well-drained soils, but a good thick layer of mulch in the spring and water in hot dry spells will boost its vigour and fruiting ability.

If you want to train or prune a cherry, do so in the summer months after fruiting has finished. Remove dead or crossed branches to maintain an open crown that allows plenty of sun, but bear in mind cherry fruits on wood at least one year old, so be careful not to remove all the branches.

If you are looking for luscious black cherries in August Sweet Cherry Kordia is hard to beat. It has an excellent reputation for beating disease, crops heavier than average and looks stunning in spring.