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Stella Sweet Cherry
$59.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Pollination
Self-fertile
Bloom group
4 of 7 (Mid)
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceNo strong resistance
- ? Bacterial canker : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Brown rot : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Cherry leaf spot : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Cytospora canker : Unknown, no published data yet
- ? Little cherry disease : Unknown, no published data yet
- 3 Powdery mildew : Moderate, 3 of 5
- ? X-disease : Unknown, no published data yet
Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.
See it on our cherry disease chart (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Stella Sweet Cherry is a cherry tree rated hardy to zone 4b in our ratings (winters to -25°F), and self-fertile, so one tree can crop (bloom group 4 of 7, mid for a sweet cherry).
| Hardy to | Zone 4b to 8. The b means the warmer half of zone 4 only (winters to -25°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Chill hours | About 500 hours (400 to 800). Published figures disagree, so treat this as a middle estimate. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources. |
| Pollination | Self-Fertile. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), mid spring here. Stella is self-fertile and will crop on its own. It is also a good pollenizer for mid-season sweet cherries like Rainier, though some growers report it does not work well for Bing. Nearby varieties that can boost the crop: Bing Cherry, Rainier Sweet Cherry, Skeena Sweet Cherry, White Gold Sweet Cherry. Sweet Cherry Pollination Map. |
| Rootstock and size | Mazzard: full size, about 25 to 35 ft (sweet cherry), 15 to 18 ft (tart cherry) tall unpruned. Slow to bear, often 5 to 6 years. Our rootstock guide. |
| Good for | Pollenizing other trees (8/10), fresh eating (7/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| Deer | A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it. |
| What you get | Bare root, 5-7 ft. Regular Grade or 5-7 ft. Larger & more branching. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Overview
Stella Cherry is one of the most popular and prolific sweet cherry varieties, known for its showy white flowers in the spring and exquisite, dark red, sweet fruit in the summer. It was the first sweet cherry that Luke tried in Missoula during the summer of 2016, and since then, it has become a favorite for its great flavor and reliable productivity.
Fruit Characteristics and Flavor
Stella cherries are large, heart-shaped, and boast a deep, rich red color when fully ripe. The flavor is consistently delicious, never disappointing our taste buds. The fruit can become very dark red, offering a sweet, satisfying taste perfect for fresh eating and other uses.
Cold Hardiness and Growing Conditions
While Stella is a reliable variety, its hardiness is best suited for zone 4b and warmer. In Missoula, which is in the colder half of USDA Zone 4 (with extreme winter lows between -25°F to -30°F), Stella still thrives. We rank its hardiness as tied with Rainier as the fifth-hardest sweet cherry variety, after Gold, Lapins, White Gold, and Black Gold. If you are in Zone 4, try to trap ground heat around the tree, especially if you experience temperatures below 0°F before December 1st. This will help the tree endure harsh winters.
Pollination and Self-Fertility
Stella was the first self-fertile cherry, making it an excellent choice for those who want reliable fruit without needing a second tree for pollination. It can also serve as a pollenizer for any of our other sweet cherries.
Rootstock and Growth
These Stella trees are grafted onto full-size Mazzard rootstock, which helps them reach a mature height of 5–7 feet. The Mazzard rootstock provides solid growth, allowing for strong, healthy trees.
Hardiness
Stella is hardy to Zone 4b (-25°F), but for the best results in the colder half of zone 4, ensure the tree is protected from extreme winter cold, especially when temperatures drop below 0°F before December 1st.
Image courtesy of David Wright under CC 2.0.
Questions we get about Stella Sweet Cherry
Does Stella Sweet Cherry need a pollenizer?
No. Stella Sweet Cherry is self-fertile, so a single tree can set fruit. Stella is self-fertile and will crop on its own. It is also a good pollenizer for mid-season sweet cherries like Rainier, though some growers report it does not work well for Bing. Partners we carry include Bing Cherry, Rainier Sweet Cherry, Skeena Sweet Cherry.
How cold hardy is Stella Sweet Cherry?
We rate Stella Sweet Cherry hardy to zone 4b, which means winters down to about -25°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
How many chill hours does Stella Sweet Cherry need?
About 500 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 400 and 800. Published figures for it disagree, so treat that as a middle estimate. A low-chill sweet cherry, so chill is never the issue in Montana. Winter hardiness is; it does best in zone 4b and warmer spots. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.
How big does Stella Sweet Cherry get?
We graft Stella Sweet Cherry onto Mazzard (full size), which makes a tree roughly 25 to 35 ft (sweet cherry), 15 to 18 ft (tart cherry) tall if you never prune it.
What is Stella Sweet Cherry good for?
Our top use scores for Stella Sweet Cherry are pollenizing other trees (8/10), fresh eating (7/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
Is Stella Sweet Cherry disease resistant?
Somewhat. It holds up moderately well against powdery mildew. Nobody has published solid data on it for bacterial canker, brown rot, cherry leaf spot, cytospora canker, little cherry disease and X-disease yet, so we list those as unknown. Our cherry disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.
Will deer eat Stella Sweet Cherry?
Yes, deer love it. Protect Stella Sweet Cherry with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.
What arrives, and when does Stella Sweet Cherry ship?
A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 5-7 ft. Regular Grade or 5-7 ft. Larger & more branching. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.
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Pollination partners
Good partners for Stella Sweet Cherry
Stella Sweet Cherry is self-fertile, so one tree will fruit on its own. If you'd like a second sweet cherry, these bloom at the same time and work well together.
Bloom group
4 of 7 (Mid)
Pollination
Self-fertile
Pollen
Good pollenizer
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Rainier Sweet Cherry(Spring 2027)
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White Gold Sweet Cherry(Spring 2027)
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Bing Cherry
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Skeena Sweet Cherry
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Not available for spring 2027. Here's what we'd plant instead.
Stella Sweet Cherry is off the list this season. These are in stock now, and the full sweet cherry trees collection has the rest. Everything on our zone 4 page is rated for the same winters.
Browse the sweet cherry trees collection for what's in stock.