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May 16, 2008 · 8 Comments

Cherry Blossom Time

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The cherry blossoms–along with crabapple blossoms–are opening up all over Minnesota. My ‘Bali’ cherry tree began blossoming two days ago. It will look fluffy and white for a week or so before the cherries that ripen in late July or August begin to form. Bali (Prunus ‘Evans Bali’) is a variety developed in Canada, where it is known as the Evans cherry. It’s a pretty, compact tree and said to be hardy to -54 F. I’ve seen size estimates of anywhere between 8 and 20 feet tall at maturity. My little tree has been in the ground less than two years, and is less than 5 feet high.

white cherry blossom

Cherry blossoms are delicate blooms.

What sets the Bali cherry apart from other cherries is its prolific fruit production. My friends at Northscaping, a Canadian gardening site, say they have seen gardeners collect 50 pounds of cherries off of a 5-year-old tree. The cherries are technically a sour cherry, but if left on the tree long enough, Bali gets sweet enough to eat raw. It is reportedly a delicious pie cherry. However, if you want to collect any cherries off a Bali tree, invest in a bird net. Last year, I noticed the little cherries were getting ripe, and thought “Better get some kind of net over this before the birds get them.” The next day, the cherries were gone.

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Comments

  1. Rock and Roll Gardener says

    May 16, 2008 at 9:40 pm

    Visit my blog, http://rockandrollgardener.blogspot.com/
    I am going to put up a new Crabapple photo especially for you. I shot the photo today.

    Those trees are just starting to bloom…It doesn’t last long.

  2. mynortherngarden says

    May 17, 2008 at 11:01 am

    Thanks for posting your crab apple picture. It’s gorgeous. We had three big, old crabs at our first house. They were magnificent in the spring–for a week or so, but they succumbed to a disease one by one. No crabapples at our current house–at least not yet.

  3. Tracy says

    May 27, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    Mary: Where did you get the Bali cherry? I’ve been wanting one for a few years but have not found one locally (I’m in the Cities, but would drive to Northfield or environs to get one.)

    I posted about my longing for this tree last year: http://timberglade.typepad.com/outside/2007/08/evans-bali-cher.html

    If you prefer to e-mail rather than post about specific nurseries on you blog, that would work, too.

    Thanks!!

  4. mynortherngarden says

    May 27, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    Tracy: I got my cherry tree at Knecht’s nursery in Northfield. It’s located right on highway 19 as you come into town from I-35. (But if you are making a trip, continue on into our great downtown and make a day of it!) Knecht’s has a web site (www.knechts.net) where you can get their phone number. You may want to call to make sure they still have Balis available–although I think I saw some when I was at the nursery buying plants last week. They are great little trees.

  5. Tracy says

    May 27, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    Thanks for the info, Mary. Actually, I went to Carleton (class of ’87). That’s why I’d be willing to go down there for the tree – I love stopping in Northfield when I have the chance!

  6. Richard says

    July 6, 2009 at 10:40 am

    I’m in the Northfield, Minnesota area, and frequent Knecht’s as well.

    In my case, though, I’d really like just a scion. I have a few very hardy chokecherries (prunus virginiana) around, and I’d like to try a graft using these local trees as rootstock.

    Do you happen to know of anyone in our areas (Northfield, MN) who might be willing to give me a small slice of a branch from a cherry tree known to produce well (and hold up well) in our climate?

  7. mynortherngarden says

    July 6, 2009 at 11:35 am

    Richard: I’m not sure if I nursery could help you with a scion, but you might check the northfield gardening exchange, which is a google group. Here’s the address: http://groups.google.com/group/northfieldgardenexchange?hl=en&pli=1

    You can join the group and see if anyone has what you need.

    Good luck.

Trackbacks

  1. Cherry Harvest and Clafoutis! says:
    October 7, 2018 at 12:32 pm

    […] mine is under 10 feet tall. It’s a pretty tree for a smaller landscape and is covered with delicate white blossoms in the spring. The cherries are pretty, too, and make a great pie, cobbler or — what I did […]

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