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Description:

A cross between the tart cherry and the Mongolian cherry produces a high sugar content which makes for excellent fresh eating; the fruit is large and dark red in color

Edible Qualities

Crimson Passion Cherry is a large shrub that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces dark red round fruit (technically 'drupes') with crimson flesh which are usually ready for picking in mid summer. Note that the fruits have hard inedible pits inside which must be removed before eating or processing. The fruits have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking

Features & Attributes

Crimson Passion Cherry features showy clusters of fragrant white flowers along the branches in mid spring. It has green deciduous foliage. The glossy oval leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy dark red drupes carried in abundance in mid summer.

This is a deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering
• Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Crimson Passion Cherry is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Crimson Passion Cherry will grow to be about 13 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This shrub is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.