Early Richmond Cherry Tree (Prunus cerasus ‘Early Richmond’)

• Bright, Light-Red Juicy Sour Fruit
• Lovely White Spring Blooms
• Early Season Harvest
• High Yields of Delicious Fruit
• Smaller & Compact Size
• Gorgeous Ornamental
• Self-Pollinating
• Hardy and Widely Adaptable
• Antique Variety
• Historical Interest
• Planted in England since the 1500s
• Classic Pie Fruit, Preserves, Cobblers, Desserts & Sauces
• 700 Chill Hours

The Early Richmond Cherry Tree (Prunus cerasus ‘Early Richmond’) is prized by growers for its high yields and its beautiful ornamental qualities! Grown in England since the early 1500s, the Early Richmond Cherry came over with the settlers to colonial America, and it’s been delicious history ever since.

The Early Richmond puts on a show each spring with profuse clusters of abundant white flowers. Glossy, dark green foliage fills this rounded tree out for the summer, providing a contrasting backdrop for when it begins to hang heavy with red cherries, warmed by the sun and ready for eating.

Known to ripen up to a week earlier than other cherry trees, as early as June, the Early Richmond offers a bounty of sour cherries in the late spring.

While you may be tempted to eat them straight from the tree by the handful, the Early Richmond is also ideal for cooking, canning and preserving. A heavy producing tree, you’ll enjoy loads of medium-sized fruit, these are classic bright red pie cherries that are firm and full of juice!

The tart flavor is just the thing for classic cherry pie, or use it in cobblers and dessert sauces. Nothing’s better than homemade jams and preserves from your very own cherry tree.

Self-fertile, you’ll quickly enjoy a bountiful harvest from a single tree. However, you’ll enjoy a larger crop if you plant more than one tree.

Don’t worry about wasting any berries left hanging on the Early Richmond; songbirds love them, and they’ll gobble up any that you don’t claim. Net your tree to keep them at bay until you’ve gotten your fill.

How to Use Early Richmond Cherry Tree In The Landscape

Smaller statured and compact, these ornamental trees are incredibly versatile in their use. Fitting snugly into any sized garden, landscape or small home orchard, Early Richmond can be pruned even smaller yet to tuck anywhere, even containers and planters on balconies and porches!

Ornamental blooms in spring and the modest size makes Early Richmond a fantastic specimen tree for front yard landscaping. Gorgeous edible landscaping and dual-purpose garden plants, they’re both versatile and beneficial.

Any sized garden and home orchard have room for one of these smaller trees. Prune smaller yet for a container-sized tree or add one to your balcony or patio to keep the juicy fruit close at hand! Try your hand at pruning this tree as Espalier for a centerpiece and focal point to amaze everyone for years to come!

Place one outside your window so you’ll be able to enjoy the spring blooms showy appearance and keep a close eye on your developing harvest.

Tips For Care

Plant in full sun for the most flowers and best fruit! This hardy fruit tree is ideal for growing zones 4-9, where it adapts well to soil conditions ranging from moist to well-drained soil. Tolerating rainier environments, these trees are adaptable and versatile.

A bit of summer pruning keeps this variety at the height you like most. Train and shape your tree to suit your needs and space! Summer pruning to control size while winter pruning when the tree is dormant helps remove dead, diseased or damaged limbs. Prune also to keep the interior of your tree open for increased air circulation and to allow sunlight into the canopy of your tree.

It’s self-fertile, so you don’t have to worry about a pollinator plant, just plant it and watch it grow. Expect it to begin producing within three to five years after planting.

Plant your tree in any well-drained fertile soil that has good organic matter. Don’t forget to add Nature Hills Root Booster while planting for a life-long symbiotic relationship with the tiny feeder roots.