Van Cherry Tree

As low as $149.99 was $149.99
Availability: In stock
SKU
724

One Fine Cherry Tree & Cold Hardy Too!

  • Large, Red-Black Sweet Fruit
  • Intense Cherry Flavor!
  • Crack-Resistant
  • Gorgeous White Blooms
  • Large Sized & Adaptive to Pruning
  • Lush Green Foliage & Great Shaped Tree!
  • Cold Hardy
  • Abundant Producer
  • Late-Midseason Harvest
  • Jellies, Jams, Pies, Preserves, Freeze & Fresh Eating!
  • Recommended pollinators: Rainier, Stella & Black Tartarian
  • Great Pollinator to Other Cherry Varieties
  • 700 Chill Hours

Our Van Cherry Tree (Prunus avium 'Van') has a well-deserved reputation as one of the finest cherries for the home grower. It's among the cold hardiest of sweet cherries varieties and comes with loads of striking ornamental features!

Van provides a beautiful display each early spring when it becomes weighed down in clusters of lovely snow-white flowers, creating a show for the neighborhood!

Growers appreciate its shiny, serrated leaves and its medium-sized, upright, rounded form, making it a visual delight for both the front yard or the mini orchard out back!

The green foliage is contrasted by the dark-red cherries that hang by the handful, tempting you to reach up and grab a healthy and sweet-tart snack.

Fruiting by mid-June, this late mid-season variety produces sweet, shiny, red-black fruit. They resist cracks, so your harvest is bigger and bountiful.

The fruit is outstanding eaten fresh off the tree or can be used for jellies, jams, pies or preserves. Van cherries freeze well, so you can easily preserve your excess, or dry any excess cherries to add to a trail mix or snack mix!

How to Use Van Cherry Tree In The Landscape

Fantastic specimen and dual-purpose, edible landscaping trees. One of these in the front yard will add curb appeal and ornamental year-round interest, as well as delectable fruit! Tuck into a backyard home orchard or pretty row for privacy along the side of your property!

Plant as an anchor and shade for the corner of a shed or garage, or to shade your patio or garden beds.

There’s nothing like a reading nook beneath your Van Cherry when it’s in full bloom, or enjoying a summer picnic beneath the tree where you can easily pluck fresh cherries for snacking.

#ProPlantTips For Care

These hardy trees are best in USDA growing zones 5-9. Preferring full sun for the best fruit and health of your tree. Be sure to plant in a moderate, yet consistently moist site with regular watering.

Plant in an enriched, organic medium that has very well-drained soil. Mulch the root system well to maintain moisture and to better insulate the roots from heat and cold.

Prune to maintain your Van Cherry at a reasonable height under 8-10 feet so that netting and harvest are easier tasks. You will not want to give up a single piece of this wonderful fruit to birds, once you have tried it. 

Not self-fertile, you’ll need another Cherry for cross-pollination, however, it is one of the best pollinators for other sweet cherries, so let ripening time and your taste be your guide in selecting your partner cherry variety. No room for 2 trees? Try high-density planting in our Cherry Tree Care Garden Blog!

For best results, fertilize your tree regularly with Dr. Earth Fruit Tree Fertilizer or a good organic, slow-release fertilizer.

You'll love the outstanding intense cherry flavor of the Van Cherry, one of the finest for the home grower. Order at NatureHills.com today before they’re gone!

 

Recommended pollinators: Rainier, Stella, & Black Tartarian

Buying Options for Plants

Nature Hills sells a large variety of plants with several options available. Plants are offered in both potted containers and as dormant bare root without soil. Here is a helpful resource to understand your options as you create a beautiful landscape with help from Nature Hills.

Ever wonder what a larger plant will mean for your landscape? Container Sizes are really all about the age of the plant!

Seasonally, Nature Hills offers hand selected, high quality bare root trees, shrubs and perennials. Bare root plants are sold by height from the top of the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may be taller than the height minimums.

  • Popular sizes of select trees are 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, etc.
  • Popular sizes of select bare root plants is 1 foot, 18 inches, etc.

Nature Hills Container Size by Volume

Keep in mind, specific varieties and different growing conditions can affect the rate at which plants grow. Variations in size may occur.

Young Plants to 18 Months
Size Volume
2"x2"x3" Ranges from .18 to .21 dry quarts / .198 to .23 dry liters in volume
4.5" Container Equal to .65 dry quart / .72 dry liter in volume
Sprinter Pot Equal to .63 dry quart / .69 dry liter in volume
4" Container Ranges from .31 to .87 / .35 to .96 dry liter in volume
6" Container Equal to 1.4 dry quarts / 1.59 dry liters in volume
1 Quart Equal to 1 dry quart / 1.1 dry liter in volume
5.5" Container Equal to 1.89 of a dry quart / 2.08 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x5" Ranges from .8 to 1.1 dry quarts / .88 to 1.2 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x6" Ranges from 1.0 to 1.3 dry quarts / 1.1 to 1.41 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x9" Ranges from 1.1 to 2.1 dry quarts / 1.2 to 2.3 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x10" Ranges from 1.7 to 2.3 dry quart / 1.87 to 2.53 dry liters in volume
Plants 18 Months - 2.5 Years Old
Size Volume
2 Quart Equal to 2 dry quarts / 2.2 dry liters in volume
#1 Container Ranges from 2.26 to 3.73 dry quarts / 2.49 to 4.11 dry liters in volume
5"x5"x12" Equal to 3.5 to 4.3 dry quarts / 3.85 to 4.74 dry liters in volume
Plants 2 - 4 Years Old
Size Volume
#2 Container Ranges from 1.19 to 1.76 dry gallons / 5.24 to 7.75 dry liters in volume
#3 Container Ranges from 2.32 to 2.76 dry gallons / 10.22 to 12.16 dry liters in volume
Plants 3 - 5 Years Old
Size Volume
#5 Container Ranges from 2.92 to 4.62 dry gallons / 12.86 to 20.35 dry liters in volume
#6 Container Ranges from 5.25 to 6.01 dry gallons / 23.12 to 26.42 dry liters in volume
#7 Container Ranges from 5.98 to 6.08 dry gallons / 26.34 to 26.78 dry liters in volume

About Plant Sentry™

Plant Sentry is designed to protect both consumers and the nursery trade from invasive plant pests and diseases. Sites that display the Plant Sentry protection badge are protected from consumers buying and nurseries shipping material carrying invasive pests and diseases.

This proprietary eCommerce software prevents the shipment of a restricted plant to each state. The Plant Sentry system includes a shipment certification program. The Plant Sentry Compliance Officer works closely with NatureHills.com and each nursery or fulfillment center to ensure only compliant plants are sold to customers.

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Plant Sentry

Shipping

To obtain a more accurate shipment time-frame, simply enter your zip code in the “Find Your Growing Zone” box to the right. Our plants are grown all over the country and lead time on items may be different because of this. Once your order is placed, you will also receive the specific shipment time-frame information as part of your order confirmation. Once an item ships, you will receive shipment notification and tracking numbers, so you can follow along while your plant travels to your doorstep. We use FedEx, UPS, or USPS at our discretion.

Due to winter weather we have put a hold on shipping to the areas shown below in grey. You can still order now and we will ship the plant to you during an appropriate time for your zone.

*If you have found your zone already, it will be highlighted in the table below.
Color Zone Times
3 Spring 2019
4 Now
5 Now
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Shipping Rates

At Nature Hills we handle, package and ship the products you order with the utmost care to ensure healthy delivery. Shipping and handling charges are calculated based on the tables below. Please note that some items include an additional handling surcharge, these will be noted on the item's product page.

From To S&H
0 - 19.99 24.99
20 - 49.99 29.99
50 - 69.99 34.99
70 - 99.99 39.99
100 - 129.99 44.99
130 - 149.99 48.99
150 - 150+ Approx 28%

Click here to see our full rates

Arguably the Best Cherry One Can Eat

In its short time, and with very humble beginnings, Van Cherry has become one of the most important cherries of the 20th Century. As with so many of the modern varieties of cherries, Van was developed in the Summerland Agriculture Research Station in Summerland, British Columbia.

In 1936, A.J. Mann of the Summerland Station made the original cross using Empress Eugenie, an open pollinated selection as the primary parent. Empress Eugenie itself is a cross of Duke Cherry, a hardy Prunus avium crossed with a sour cherry variety from France, which added to its adaptability.

Van was selected by Mann in 1942 and named in honor of J.R. Van Haarlen of the Horticultural Experimental Station in Vineland, Ontario. Van was introduced commercially in 1944. Recognized for its ability to compete with the Bing in harsher climates, the Van was noted for its resistance to doubling, cracking and splitting. Van's quality compared to that of the Bing but boasted a firmer texture.

Van become popular quickly, but the focus in the 1950's and 60's was on creating self-fruitful varieties. The introduction of the self-fruitful Stella Cherry in the early 1970's gave the Van a lot of commercial competition.

Today, Van remains one of the most dependable cherry varieties for the home garden in Zones 4 - 9. It is also a popular contributor for creating new hybrids. With Van's outstanding attributes, hybridists have used it to create many of the popular varieties known today. First and foremost, the Rainier cherry is a Van Cherry cross. Lapin's Cherry also has Van as a parent plant, and is fast becoming the most popular variety planted both in the commercial and the home garden.

PLANT HIGHLIGHTS

Van Cherry Tree Is Suited to Grow in Zones 5-9
Growing Zones 5-9
More Information
Brand Nature Hills' Choice
Botanical Name Prunus avium 'Van'
Type Deciduous
Mature Height 20 - 30 feet
Mature Spread 12-15 feet
Sun Exposure Full Sun
Soil Widely Adaptable
Moisture Moderate
Growth Rate Medium
Flower Color White
Foliage Color Green
Fall Color Yellow
Harvest Time Late Season
Pollinator Friendly Yes
Fruiting Time 3 - 5 years
Pruning Time Late Winter
Fragrant Yes