Silver Creek Nursery Ltd.

North Star Sour Cherry Scionwood

Scionwood is not a tree, yet!

Scionwood, or scions (pronounced 'sigh-ons'), are the young, one-year shoots you graft with in order to propagate a variety. If you want to propagate a Gala apple tree, for example, you would graft with Gala scionwood!

We collect these scions from trees in our test orchards and are happy to be able to offer rare/heritage varieties!

For more information on scionwood and grafting, click HERE!

History: North Star sour cherries were created by the University of Minnesota as part of an effort to create varieties that are more resistant to the cold. They were introduced in 1950 and recently have been growing in popularity as a backyard variety. 

Why We Grow It: North Star is a sour cherry with bright red skin which darkens as it ripens. It has an excellent flavour. The trees have a compact and weeping growth habit, making them an attractive addition to your yard whether in bloom in spring or bearing fruit in the summer. They are also self-pollinating, very hardy, and resistant to leaf spot and brown rot. 

 Check our our blog post with some tasty sour cherry recipes!

        $8.50

        Propagation Material:

        3 low in stock

        Fruit Traits:

        Recommended Use: Fresh eating, baking

        Fruit Size: Medium

        Storage: Keeps about a week in the fridge.

        Harvest: July - Late

        Plant Traits:

        Canadian Hardiness Zone: 3

        Flowering Time: Late

        Pollination Requirements: Self-pollinating, this variety will produce fruit without a cherry tree of a different variety but will produce more and better fruit if one is present. Sweet and Sour cherries cannot be relied upon to pollinate each other.

        Sun/Shade Requirements: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

        General Growth Habit: Cold hardy, compact and weeping growth habit, produces heavy crops. Resistant to brown rot and bacterial leaf spot.

        Shipping: Scionwood can be shipped anytime in the spring, although we generally recommend that customers receive their scionwood by mid-April at the latest to ensure it arrives dormant. We can hold it longer if customers accept the risk that the scionwood may start breaking dormancy after this time.

        Pickup: We will notify you as soon as your scionwood is ready. We recommend picking it up as soon as you are able and storing it at home.

        Click HERE for tips on storing scionwood!

        CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

        Each scion will have at least 2-4 grafts' worth of material and ideally will be approximately 12-18" or 30cm+ long. Since we specialize in so many varieties/species, there will be natural differences in growth habit and vigour so some varieties may be shorter or thinner. We will provide the best quality we can, within natural restraints.

        If a scion is less than 6" or 15cm, it will be discounted accordingly.

        Purchasing Bareroot

        New to bareroot? We've got you covered on what to expect when ordering bareroot plants

        Visit the Blog

        Full of orchard education, fun recipes, and other fruit related content!

        We are here for you!

        Over the last 16 years we have helped thousands of orchardists begin their journey. Questions? Just ask!

        Our Standards

        We are committed to growing the healthiest, finest plants. Read about our growing standards. It all matters.