Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas)
“Elegant” and “Pioneer” have done well in Sidney, ME for decades and are sold by Fedco. Jesse Stevens is heading up a project to trial many cultivars, check back in a decade or so for more detailed recommendations.
From Jack Kertesz Dec 2020
Dwarf Sour Cherries: This article is pretty decent and they site varieties not working for North Dakota conditions, including issues with SWD infestations. From North Dakota State University.
Canadian Dwarf Sour Cherries – Prunus x kerrasis
and Canadian Dwarf Sour Cherry Update – 2014-17 (pdf)
A compilation of correspondence on this subject….
From Aaron Parker:
Fedco has offered Carmine Jewel frequently and sometimes Crimson Passion. My Carmine Jewel is doing well, but hasn’t really fruited. Crimson Passion struggled to stay alive for some reason. I planted Romeo and Juliet last year from Gurneys because they were super cheap on sale, they are doing well so far.
The big US supplier seems to be http://honeyberryusa.com .
I have never seen a US source for Valentine or Cupid, if anyone this side of the border has them, I’m interested in trying them.
There is a pretty good article episode on bush cherries at:
Dwarf Cherry Trees or Bush Cherries | Orchard People
Supposedly romance series is pretty disease resistant, I think Bunker has had Carmine Jewel in the ground for a bunch of years and had good results. I’d love to see people trying them out in the county.
Meader’s selections all get brown rot like crazy at my house, 100% loss 2 years in a row, i would have torn them out already, but “Joel” is also planted at my mom’s house (1/4 mile away) and does fine.
Jesse Stevens added:
I think these are the ‘Romance Series’ dwarf cherries? Crimson Passion, Carmine Jewel, Romeo, etc…
I have CJ, it is a nice plant and easy to net against birds but I find the fruit lacks the classical cherry aroma of some other standard sour cherries.
Jack Kertesz added:
I have a Jan or Joel that I got from John Meader years ago that has never been a show stopper.
It flowers profusely then the fruit makes an effort to ripen but doesn’t.
Cold tolerance being one factor, how these would stand up to disease pressure is another.
I like the netting potential. Sharing with birds is tough.
Crimson Passion has shown susceptibility to brown rot. Carmine Jewel seems resistant.
