What is Royal Ann Cherry Tree
Known by several noble monikers over the centuries: Queen Anne, Napoleon Bigarreau, Wellington…and the Royal Ann Cherry Tree today, this cherry variety has long been a pedigreed favorite in orchards around the globe.
Cultivated from the sweetest of wild cherries, it is full-flavored and plump. Take a bite, and you’ll find the texture refreshing and crisp – a thin outer layer with a juicy, cream-colored interior.
Resembling the Rainier in appearance and taste, the Royal Ann Cherry is often mistaken for this more commonly marketed variety. It has a firm, meaty flesh favored for commercial and home canning. It’s also the variety of choice for maraschino cherries – the colorful adornment to summer drinks and craft cocktails.
The Royal Ann is considered a premier, all-around cherry, boasting a variety of kitchen uses. It’s packed with natural sugars, making it a tasty treat straight from the tree or dried and saved for later. It’s commonly used in pies, grilling sauces, fruit-flavored soups, jams and preserves.
But the best part? Because it’s grafted to the Colt rootstock, the Royal Ann is a semi-dwarf cherry tree that’s poised for productivity, so you’ll find it thrives in most soil types, repels serious pests and tolerates colder temperatures, even down to -10 degrees!
Treat yourself to gourmet, sweet cherries without ever paying retail again! The Royal Ann “reigns supreme” in sweetness, texture and taste, and you’ll get fruit in only a few years.
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How to Grow and Care for Royal Ann Cherry Tree
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Planting
Choose a sunny spot that will give your cherry tree a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Although it will thrive in almost any kind of soil, avoid locations where the soil will remain soggy for prolonged lengths of time.
Dig a hole that is as deep as the root ball and three times as wide. Place the roots in the hole and fill the hole about half-way with soil, tamp to remove air pockets then fill the hole completely. Spread a layer of mulch over the soil around your cherry tree to help keep the soil moist, encourage healthy growth and protect your tree against competing growth.
Watering
During the growing season, if your tree receives at least an inch of rain every 10 days, then no additional irrigation is necessary. If the season is hot and dry then you may need to provide some additional water. The best way to water is by using a slow trickling garden hose left at the base of the tree. This will allow the water to penetrate the soil more deeply and prevent it from running off over the soil surface. Make sure the ground is fully moisturized all around the root system.
Pruning
A year after planting your Royal Ann, prune your tree in the late to end of winter while dormant. Shape the tree to encourage horizontal branch growth with space between branches. Prune once a year as necessary to remove weak, drooping branches.
Fertilizing
Good, nutrient-rich soil should only require the addition of nitrogen. Fertilize in the spring and midsummer using nitrogen fertilizer twice annually applying 2 weeks after planting and 4 weeks after the first application. Use a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 and apply at the rate of 0.05 pounds of actual nitrogen per dose. Fertilizer application ratios vary upon the formulation so be sure to follow package directions.
