Mayday Cherry vs Nanking Cherry - TreeTime.ca

Mayday Cherry vs Nanking Cherry

Prunus padus

Prunus tomentosa

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Mayday Cherry
Nanking Cherry

Mayday Cherry is a small deciduous tree known for its early blooming and fragrant white flowers.

A favourite specimen tree on prairie homesteads, Mayday Cherry produces small black berries that are inedible to people but highly desirable to birds.

Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Mayday Cherry seeds at SeedTime.ca.

Nanking Cherry is a small deciduous shrub known for its attractive white blossoms and edible fruit. Its dark red berries are excellent for pies, jellies, and even fresh eating.

Nanking Cherry is highly regarded as a shade tolerant fruit. We often see it planted as a hedge on the north side of a house where few other plants will survive, let alone thrive.

Expect fruit mid to late July. The fruit can vary in sweetness and size considerably. We often hear that people prefer it to sour cherries. Perhaps this is because Nanking Cherry is more closely related to plums. In fact, it is sometimes used as a dwarfing rootstock for plums.

Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Nanking Cherry seeds at SeedTime.ca.

Mayday Cherry Quick Facts

Nanking Cherry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 9 m (30 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 8 m (25 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: small black berries
Berries: scarlet sweet but slightly tart cherries, 8-12 mm diameter
Flowers: early blooming, white
Flowers: white, early spring
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: low
Suckering: low



Toxicity: seeds and leaves are toxic if ingested

Other Names: common bird cherry, european bird cherry
Other Names: ando cherry, chinese bush cherry, chinese dwarf cherry, downy cherry, hansens bush cherry, korean cherry, manchu cherry, mountain cherry, shanghai cherry