7 Edible & Flowering Cherry Trees for Tennessee

Tennessee enjoys a well-rounded subtropical climate with cool winters and warm summers with high humidity. Due to its exceptional growing season, all manner of fruit trees can grow very well in Tennessee, including the beautiful cherry tree. In this video, we explore seven of the best edible and ornamental cherry trees that can be grown by Tennessee gardeners. The dark purple gem-like fruits of the black tartarian cherry will stand out in any landscape. Not only is this large disease resistant tree a striking ornamental with bright waxy leaves, but it provides large quantities of beautiful juicy cherries that taste fantastic when cooked in preserves such as jams and jellies. One of the oldest and most reliable cherry trees that have become a garden staple around the world is the early Richmond. These sour cherries make the ultimate cherry pie and their relatively small size and clouds of pink and white blossoms make them a convenient choice for landscapers. Not to mention they can be grown in every area of Tennessee from zones 5 to 8. Not all cherry trees have to bear delicious fruits. The Mount Fuji Japanese flowering cherry is an absolute classic of the ornamental cherry variety. Since the 19th century, the Japanese native has been a beloved landscaping tree due to its breathtaking clouds of pink and white blossoms that occur in spring. A perfect double whammy for cherry lovers is the Stella, a sweet cherry variety that bears large vividly covered fruits and has a spreading growth habit that bursts with stark white blossoms in spring before being replaced by bright glossy leaves. It is also an excellent choice for pollinating other sweet cherry varieties that need cross-pollination. Another stunning ornamental is the Autumn Blooming Cherry which provides more color and sweet fragrance than almost any other flowering tree. Not only does it explode with color in spring as most traditional flowering cherries do, but it continues to flower sporadically through fall. This is perfect for Tennessee gardens that lack color in the latter half of the year. One of the best edible cherry trees on the market is Lapens, a hybrid of the popular Stella and Van sweet cherry varieties. This crossover has resulted in a truly excellent performing cherry tree which produces abundant fruits in mid-season that are large, juicy and sweet and resistant to splitting. Tennessee gardeners who want to grab the attention of the neighborhood should consider the ornamental Akebono Yoshino flowering cherry. In spring, its jaw-dropping pink blossoms are the largest of any cherry variety and are suitable for every region of Tennessee. They look exceptional both as a single specimen tree and in small groupings. The mix of chilly winter weather and muggy summers isn't ideal for every cherry variety but there are still plenty of species to choose from for your Tennessee garden. Just be sure to select a variety that is suitable for your growing zone. To check your growing zone and to discover more about the cherry trees we covered in this video visit us at www.treevitalize.com. The links are in the description below. Now it's over to you. I would love to know which type of cherry tree you decide to plant in your Tennessee garden. Comment below and let me know. Thanks for tuning in today. I am Fern Berg for Tree Vitalize. Please don't forget to give this video a thumbs up, subscribe and get planting today.