No, they're easier than almost anything to grow if you buy good nursery stock that hasn't been damaged and keep it from getting damaged. If I can do it, anybody can, didn't know the first thing about it, but mixed in some fertilizer and planted them carefully (for me), and watered faithfully the first year, then never had to water again. I am getting up in years and was advised not to plant any more, if they don't succumb to something, likely to outlive me, sobering, don't know why the heck not, even if I don't use all the cherries or can/freeze them, people stop and ask for some and I don't care if the birds get them all. Those trees gave us many happy memories for me and my kids. Had a neighbor who used to come and love to pick them for half and pit them for me, grew up on a farm, gave him something to look forward to. So few want to clutter up their fancy yards with things like that now. I don't know why; they aren't messy and are pretty when they blossom and fruit. Just my 2 cents. NS is extremely hardy, was specially developed in Minnesota. For newly planted trees, that deep freeze killed a lot of things, saved most of my plants through that, very unusual that year B4 last. Mulberries don't compare to cherries imo. Never had a mulberry pie. I do happen to like them a lot, just pick off the tree and gobble as many down as I can reach, they grow wild here, but cherries are much more versatile to bake with, probably can better, too, I wasn't good at making jelly or jam. I'd grow black raspberries which I'm crazy for (JB's like them, too), but it isn't practical in my smallish yard, could squeeze some in somewhere if I wanted to fight with the canes. They grow wild here, too, if you can find some that got enough sun and water. The red are good, too, most people prefer them. But environmental conditions have changed drastically in the 30 plus years since I started my first ones, temps are not quite as extreme as they were then here generally plus new insects and blights, etc., have moved in. The Japanese Beetles got loose on the mulberries in the park, and it was awful, horrible, chains of the icky things I was told. At least I was able to keep them off those trees I replaced and they only ate the youngest leaves, that damage wouldn't have killed them unless they completely defoliated them which could happen. I think I just had a bit of bad luck, bought them impulsively at a big box store, they were cheap, and I was so determined once I made up my mind to haul and plant them (not so easy for me now), I didn't check them over very well, not much to choose from that night in the dark. I didn't want to spend the money it now costs at the good nurseries. Now it has ended up costing me a lot more but I feel good about it for now. I decided it's best but may not always be true, to buy your better plants from a good nursery in your area. It doesn't always pay to buy cheap or mail order (which I do a lot of now). I've had good luck with little stuff at big box stores, but I think a lot of inferior stock may get palmed off on them and then sold to unwary customers especially impulsive ones like me, but you can get lucky, too; it's a crap shoot. Lowe's had some NS that looked pretty good after I bought those Montmorency and planted them, what do I know? They were too heavy for me to deal with, too large, too big a hole to dig, make that two holes, I always like two for cross pollination but they say it really isn't necessary. All you need to do is have a reasonably sunny spot, 6 hours or so, average soil (mine's clay after the first 10 or so inches), plant them right, and water well the first year. The worst that happened to one of mine was my son years ago got goofy with his land cruiser in the yard and clipped the one really bad, injured it, surprised it lasted as long as it did, I was so mad at him. Plus not being careful with the lawn mower, a nick in them opens them up to the above canker or other malady. I think it was gall or a virus that got the one finally, looked out the window late one summer, and it had turned completely brown; the other I was never sure what happened with it. But 30+ years is pretty darn good for dwarf trees like that. Standards aren't worth the hassle imo. By all means if you want cherries and have room for them, I certainly encourage you to try them. Try to find a good fit for what will work best for you in your zone, not neccessarily what is the most talked about here. Sorry I rambled on so about it, must be a nuisance to plow through my posts for some.

from:http://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/1997/fall/planttox.shtml Wild Cherry (Prunussp.) - Wild cherry toxicosis can affect all animals, but ruminants are at the greatest risk. All parts of the plant are potentially toxic, however, damaged leaves of the plant are the most toxic. Clinical signs include anxiety, breathing difficulties, staggering, con­vulsions, collapse, and death. Signs usually develop rapidly. Wild Cherry contains cyanogenic precursors that release cyanide when leaves are damaged (maceration, frost, drought, wilting). As little as 2 ounces of ingested, damaged leaves can kill an animal. Blood from animals with cyanide toxicosis is often cherry-red because hemoglobin cannot release oxygen to tissue. Cell death occurs because cyanide binds to the ferric (+3) form of cytochromeoxidase, thus halting cellular respiration. Diagnosis is made by evidence of ingestion of the plant with appropriate clinical signs. Diagnosis is supported by analytical evidence of cyanide in forage and samples from affected animals. Samples for cyanide analysis should be frozen immediately and held frozen until analyzed. Death is frequently so rapid that treatment is not possible. However, if it is possible, treatment consists of sodium nitrite at 10-20 mg/kg with 500 mg/kg sodium thiosulfate as needed. The treatment is directed at breaking the cytochrome-cyanide bond with the nitrite forming cyanomethemoglobin. The thio­sulfate then reacts with the cyanide via the enzyme rhodanase forming thiocyanate which is readily excreted in the urine. Other plants that can under the right conditions contain toxic concentrations of cyanide include sorghum/sudan grass and Johnson-grass. Koi may have eaten the leaves!! fred

Hi All: I live in zone 6, where Lapins seems to do quite well so far. Mine are entering their 2nd year at my home. I bought 12 of them and all but 1 are thriving. I did not buy them as eating cherries, but for attracting birds so small yields are not much of a concern for me. In fact many of them are in my front yard, so the fewer the cherries the better for my lawn. Anyway, I have a question for anyone out there. The story on the one tree that did not make it is that the main trunk of the tree appears to be either dead or dormant (I think because I pruned it too hard at perhaps the wrong time of year last year). Now there are many shoots coming out of the bottom of the tree. My question is: is this tree salavageable? Or should I dig it up and plant a new one? Thanks! Chris

I’m writing to share my own experience with Carmine Jewel. I write from rural north central Minnesota roughly a hundred miles south of the Canadian border and a cold Zone 3B. I am always skeptical of the hype in nursery and garden catalogs, but with CJ the "hype" seems to be true. I’m astounded by the huge cherry crop I have this season on one of the trees that is now in its fifth season after planting as a 15 cm tall “sapling” that I received in a tiny pot. The tree is now a bit over six feet high. I have five other CJs planted about the same time, but the tree I’m discussing is the closest to the house and therefore received the best care including watering during dry periods and spraying for aphids a couple times in previous years. Of the other CJs, three have at least one cherry but nothing like the yield on the pampered tree. Yesterday I removed the deer fencing that I had encircled the tree with, so that I could weed around the tree, but after an hour or so, the tree started leaning considerably. Clearly the deer fence had been supporting the tree under its load of fruit. Worried about the tree’s breaking, I attached a rope to the main leader to pull it back into a vertical position. The catalogs claim that CJs yield 15 lbs of fruit after four years. I am curious about the weight of fruit on my tree, and I estimate it might be 15 lbs, but I plan not to pick the cherries all at once. I’ll eat the fruit fresh as picked from the tree, and I am aware the cherries grow sweeter over several weeks. While many of the cherries are clearly not yet ripe enough to eat, the bright red ones are sweet enough for my taste and seem no more tart than red raspberries. The latter make my teeth hurt but not the cherries. The cherries are small, quite a bit smaller than the Montmorencies I grew when I lived in Washington, but the CJ pits are also smaller. I’m going to try posting a photo I took yesterday if I can figure out how.