Shrub Cherry : CUTIE PIE 60-90cm (24-36")

The horticultural program at the University of Saskatchewan began back in 1921. In more recent years, it has gained recognition for developing new varieties of hardy fruit, such as haskaps and shrub cherries in particular. To celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2021, it was so fitting to release some new sour cherry varieties.

Cutie Pie was another one of the 2021 anniversary releases. It is a direct result of Les Kerr's 40 years of crossing Mongolian bush cherries (Prunus fruiticosa) with European sour cherries (Prunus cerasus). Cutie Pie's bright red cherries are slightly smaller, but also the sweetest of any shrub cherry. The plant itself is fine stemmed and unusually dwarfing, with the maximum height only reaching 120cm (4'). Imagine picking pie cherries in a row the same height as raspberries and currants! A compact fruiting hedge like this would obviously be a breeze to cover with bird netting. Alternatively, it could also be used to lure birds away from another, higher value crop.

SELF-FERTILE | ZONE 2 | HARVEST : EARLY AUG