St Lucie cherry

St Lucie cherry: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Shrub or small tree of 4–10 m with an open, rounded crown about 5 m across; often multi-stemmed.

Leaf

Alternate, 3–6 cm, round to broadly oval with a short pointed tip, finely scalloped and glossy; when dried it smells of hay (coumarin).

Bark

Grey-brown with horizontal lenticels, as in cherries; the wood is fragrant.

Flower

Small, strongly scented white flowers in short, upright clusters of 3–10, in April–May, with the leaves.

Fruit

Small, bitter cherries 6–10 mm across, red at first and black when ripe, in July.

Difference from wild cherry

Wild cherry has a larger, elongated leaf with two red glands on the stalk, and flowers in small bunches.

Difference from bird cherry

Bird cherry has a larger, dull leaf and long, hanging flower clusters.

Flowering: April–May · Pruning: June–August

Identify by feature: White blossom · Black berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Wild cherry Prunus avium: larger, elongated leaf with two red glands on the stalk, and flowers in small bunches. Difference from wild cherry
• Bird cherry Prunus padus: larger, dull leaf and long, hanging flower clusters. Difference from bird cherry

Why grow it?

• One of the few trees that really thrive on dry, chalky and poor soil.
• Strongly scented white blossom in April–May for bees.
• Small black cherries in July for blackbirds, thrushes and other birds.
• Native but rare: planting one gives a species of our limestone slopes a home.
• Needs little pruning and little care.

St Lucie cherry: where does it grow best?

• Full sun; in shade it flowers little and becomes sparse.
• Dry, free-draining soil, preferably chalky: sandy loam, marl or stony ground. On wet or heavy, poorly drained soil it does badly.
• Copes well with heat, drought and wind: suitable for a sunny bank, a gravel border or a dry garden.
• About 5 m across: fits as a shrub or small tree in a medium-sized garden.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Dry

Size

8 m tall, 5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Buckthorn: A native shrub of dry chalky soil; together they make a hedge full of birds.
• Cornelian cherry: Flowers as early as February–March and also likes chalk: together, flowers from February to May.
• Field maple: A native small tree or hedge that, like St Lucie cherry, likes chalky soil.
• Common rock-rose: A low, sun-loving plant of chalk grassland for the sunny foot of the shrub.

St Lucie cherry: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March when the ground isn’t frozen; young plants establish best.
2. On heavy soil, work gravel or coarse sand into the planting hole so that water drains away well; manure or lots of compost are not needed.
3. For an informal hedge or a hedgerow: one plant every 1–1.5 m, possibly mixed with other shrubs for dry soil.
4. Water after planting and in dry spells during the first year; after that it looks after itself.

Care

Watering

Only in dry spells during the first year; after that it is very drought-tolerant.

Feeding

Not needed: it likes poor soil.

Weeds

Keep a strip around the base free of grass for the first few years; a layer of gravel or wood chips helps.

Upkeep

Remove dead branches now and then, in summer and in dry weather.

Tip: Got a dry, chalky bank where little will grow? Plant St Lucie cherry there with buckthorn, Cornelian cherry and blackthorn: a tough, native thicket with blossom and berries for the birds.

St Lucie cherry: when to prune it?

Pruning months: June–August.

When: In summer, in dry weather (June–August).

How:

• Little pruning needed: remove dead, diseased and crossing branches and otherwise let the shrub grow freely.
• Wounds in autumn and winter invite gummosis; in summer, in dry weather, they heal faster.
• To keep it smaller, regularly remove an old branch rather than cutting everything back at once.

Caution: Don’t prune in wet weather or in autumn or winter: disease can then enter the wounds, as in all cherries.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

In July, take the stones out of ripe cherries, clean them and sow them outdoors in a pot in autumn; after a winter in the cold they usually germinate in spring.

St Lucie cherry: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• In winter you recognise it by its grey-brown twigs and stems with horizontal lenticels, as in other cherries.

Diseases and pests

• Gummosis: Sticky, amber-coloured gum on the trunk and branches, often after injuries or on wet soil. Prune only in summer in dry weather and avoid damaging the bark.
• Wet soil: On wet or heavy soil it weakens and branches die back; choose a dry, free-draining spot.
• Shot hole: Small round brown spots in the leaves that drop out, leaving the leaf looking riddled with holes. Common in many cherries; usually harmless.
• Aphids: Aphids on young shoots in spring; ladybirds and tits clear them up.

Through the year

• March: Planting season ends; water young plants in dry spells.
• April: Flowering begins: fragrant white clusters for the bees.
• May: Flowering ends; check young shoots for aphids.
• June: Pruning possible: remove dead and crossing branches, in dry weather.
• July: The cherries turn black and the birds eat them; pruning still possible, in dry weather.
• August: Last month for pruning; water young plants in dry spells.
• October: Sow the stones in a pot outdoors.
• November: Planting season starts.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Tough shrub or small tree for dry, chalky soil; fragrant blossom in spring.

Also used for

Rootstock for cherries. Its fragrant wood (‘bois de Sainte-Lucie’) was used for pipes and walking sticks.

For wildlife

Flowers for bees, cherries for birds.

Caution: The kernels and leaves contain cyanide compounds: do not eat the kernels.

Did you know?

• The ground kernels (‘mahlab’) are a well-known baking spice in the Middle East, tasting of bitter almond and cherry.
• Its fragrant wood (‘bois de Sainte-Lucie’) was once used for pipes, walking sticks and small objects.
• It is used as a rootstock for cherries, especially for dry, chalky soil.