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Montmorency Pie Cherry

bare-root trees
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$39.00
Item: 7400-A
stock details: 2½–5' bare-root trees
Prunus cerasus
Summer, bright red skin.

Seedling of Cerise Hâtive or Cerise Commune. Montmorency Valley, France, before 1600. Introduced to the U.S. c. 1830.

The most famous of all pie cherries. Long considered the standard of excellence in the U.S. Aromatic firm-fleshed bright red fruit makes a clear light pink juice and is a favorite for processing. Tart but still enjoyable fresh off the tree when fully ripe. Birds love them, too. Surprisingly hardy, showing no signs of dieback in central Maine after the arctic blast of February 2023. In Aroostook County trees fare better than Meteor. Appears to be resistant to brown rot.

Vigorous productive medium-sized upright-spreading tree tolerates a variety of soils. Self-pollinating and produces abundantly as a stand alone cherry. Zone 3/4.
ships in spring
Quick Details
Skin Color
bright red
Harvest Season
summer
Hardy to Zone
3
Compare
Compare with other Pie Cherries
Variety Product Type Skin Color Harvest Season Hardy to Zone
Balaton bare-root trees dark red summer 4
English Morello bare-root trees dark red summer 4
Jubileum bare-root trees summer
Meteor bare-root trees bright scarlet summer 4
Montmorency bare-root trees bright red summer 3
‘Sweet Cherry Pie’ bare-root trees summer
Additional Information

Cherries Prunus spp.

Stone Fruits Widely cultivated around the world and adaptable to most of New England. Not highly particular as to soils. Clingstone means the fruit’s flesh sticks to the pit (or stone) and a freestone pit drops cleanly away from the flesh. Like our apples and pears, all our stone fruits are grafted trees.

Sweet Cherries Prunus avium

Generally grow into large trees although the flowers are tender and fruiting can be iffy in central Maine and north. We are testing the hardiest varieties and hope to keep adding more varieties.

Mature trees reach 25–30' tall.

Pie Cherries Prunus cerasus

Also called Sour Cherries. Delicious enough to eat right off the tree and especially good in pies. They fruit in early to midsummer and don’t mind heavy soil. Pie cherries are generally divided into two groups: Morello types have dark red spherical fruit, dark juice and relatively small compact trees. Montmorency (or Amarelle) types have light red slightly flattened fruit, clear juice and medium-sized somewhat open trees.

Pie cherries are significantly hardier than sweet cherries but flower buds may be damaged in colder winters. We often encounter excellent crops in central Maine.

Mature trees reach 10–15' tall.

Other “Cherries” For some interesting fruits sometimes called “cherries,” see Cornelian Cherries and Nanking Cherries. Sometimes we also stock Bush Cherries and Dwarf Sour Cherries, so check back in future years!

Growing Sweet and Pie Cherries

  • Soil: Prefers well-drained fertile soil; pie cherries are more forgiving and adaptable than sweet cherries.
  • Sun: Full.
  • Pollination:
    • Most sweet cherries need a second variety for pollination, so plant two or more for best results.
    • Pie cherries are self-pollinating.
  • Spacing:
    • Plant sweet cherries 25' apart.
    • Plant pie cherries 15–20' apart.
  • Planting: See our planning and planting and pests and diseases pages for more information about soil prep, planting and pest control.

Shipping

Items from our perennial plants warehouse ship from early March through mid-to-late May, weather depending, beginning with warmer USDA zones.