Prunus cerasus Fruit Me Cherry Me Lapins - Tart Cherry Tree

The Fruit Me Cherry Me Cherry Tree Lapins is characterised by its amazing ability to adapt its development to the amount of soil available to it. It is suitable for gardens with limited space, for cultivation in pots on balconies or terraces, or for creating a small fruit hedge. Its small size also makes picking easier. With a quick fruiting, it offers a harvest, from the first years, of beautiful cherries, with a large size, measuring 2.5 to 3 cm (1in) in diameter, heart-shaped. Their thin, shiny skin is orange-red, becoming bright red when ripe. The flesh is of excellent quality, juicy, firm, melting, crisp, sweet, subtly acidic, and fragrant. The Lapins variety can be consumed when barely ripe. This dwarf cherry tree, hardy (down to -20°C), resistant to diseases, and requiring no pruning, is easy to grow and almost maintenance-free. Self-fertile, it can self-pollinate, but the presence of another cherry tree flowering at the same time will increase production.

Prunus cerasus, commonly known as the Common Cherry Tree, belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is native to Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, and has been present in Europe since the Neolithic period (Polished Stone Age). In France, cultivation began in the Middle Ages, where it was appreciated for its fruits and wood. It was in the 17th century that it colonized the largest orchards in the country. In the 18th century, Louis XV encouraged and promoted the discovery of new varieties. The Lapins variety is the result of cross-breeding between the 'Stella' and 'Van' varieties, obtained by Karl Lapins in 1965, in Canada, at the Summerland Station in British Columbia.

The Fruit Me Cherry Me Lapins variety is part of a very innovative series of semi-dwarf fruit trees, recently developed in Spain. The grafting technique, using a very specific and latest generation rootstock, allows this fruit tree to adapt to the available soil volume while ensuring high-quality fruit production from the first years of cultivation. This dwarf cherry tree has the ability to adapt its growth depending on the cultivation location. In open ground, it develops a spreading, semi-upright habit, with well-branched and well-aerated branching, reaching a height of about 2 to 2.50 m (7 to 8ft) at maturity, with a spread of 1.5 m (5ft). In a pot, it will not exceed 1.50 m (5ft) in height and 1 m (3ft) in width.

Its deciduous foliage consists of leaves measuring 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3in) in length, alternate, obovate, irregularly dentate, shiny green, turning brown-orange in autumn. The semi-late flowering occurs around mid-April, before the appearance of the leaves, which can expose it to late spring frosts. The pure white flowers, measuring 1.5 to 2.5 cm (1in) in diameter, are single and grouped in clusters. They can be destroyed by frost from -2 to -3°C, so it is recommended to plant cherry trees in sheltered locations, west-facing, and protected from cold winds in regions with late frosts. However, the very abundant flowering often leads to satisfactory fruiting. It is a remarkably decorative flowering in spring, and particularly attractive to bees and butterflies. This hardy tree, which can withstand temperatures around -20°C, is suitable for cultivation in all regions. It is self-fertile, and the flowers can self-pollinate, so it does not require a companion to bear fruit, but the presence of another cherry tree variety nearby will increase production. Moreover, the pollen of the Lapins variety has the ability to pollinate several other varieties, making it a universal pollinator.

The Fruit Me Cherry Me Lapins Cherry Tree is a very productive variety, with quick fruiting, around 2 to 3 years, reaching optimal productivity after 5 to 6 years. The harvest, uniform and abundant, may show a tendency for alternate bearing, meaning that a year of high productivity may be followed by a year of lower yield. The fruit is attached to the branch by a relatively short stalk measuring 3 to 4 cm (1 to 2in) in length. Harvesting begins around mid-June and continues until mid-July. It is important to pick the fruits only when they are ripe, as they do not ripen further, and with their stalks to ensure good storage. Cherries are quite fragile, so they should be harvested delicately.

Very juicy and sweet, these cherries are delicious when eaten fresh. In cooking, they reveal all their flavors in the preparation of clafoutis, cakes, crumbles or tarts, fruit salads, and as accompaniments to savory dishes with white meats (turkey, chicken, veal, duck, etc.). They are also perfect for making jams, preserved in syrup, or canned. Their content of vitamins A, C, and E, phenolic antioxidants, calcium, copper, along with a significant amount of iron, their richness in trace elements and fibers, make cherries a health asset. The fruits can only be stored for a few days in a cool place or in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen after being washed, dried, stemmed, and pitted.

Very popular for its fruits, the cherry tree finds its place in the garden for the enjoyment of young and old. Among a very wide range of cherry trees, it is easy to find the variety that best suits one's desires or needs. This Mini Cherry Tree, Cherry Me Lapins, like all the fruit trees in the Fruit Me® range, is also easy to grow, hardy, reliable, and less susceptible to diseases, while allowing the creation of a miniature orchard on the patio or balcony.