How would Carmine Jewel compare to Juliet, the Prunus cerasus x P. fruticosa developed in Canada?

It's in the same series. I bought two varieties in the series and Carmine Jewel was the only survivor (I can't remember the other one, it died the first heat wave of summer. It wasn't 'Juliet').

I have the Jan, Joel, Joy series of bush cherry that are P. japonica crossed with P. jacquemontii. Their tags are long lost so I don't know which name goes with which bush but they all survive and even sprout little seedlings around the yard. The fruit is okay but nothing great and it suffers from some sort of Rust disease (scabby patches on the fruit and sometimes the leaves). Some years it fruits heavily, others not. It is so stinkin cute in bloom they should be selling it as a springtime blooming bush - like teeny tiny miniature peach blossoms. At one point I bought a full species P. jacquemontii but it suffered in the heat also. I see them in other gardens so some of them make it, just not in my garden under my care. The seedlings bloom and fruit more like a jacquemontii.

thanks for the info.. I'll put Julia on my wish list and look forward to any comments from you on how Carmine Jewel tastes.

trianglejohn: In your opinion what is the sweetest sour cherry? I'm thinking, maybe I will give it a try.

Thanks for all the info in your post.

I haven't tasted them all. And they create or find new varieties every year. I think that people in this area gave up trying to grow cherries because it takes a lot of time (years for the trees to mature) and our weather swings from one extreme to the other. I picked Kristin and Danube because they were succeeding in regions similar to ours (TN and VA). There is a small tree available called Nanking Cherry (Prunus tomentosa) which isn't related to pie or sweet cherries. It does okay here but hates our summer heat. The fruit is tiny, about the size of a green pea but it has the classic cherry flavor. It would be next to impossible to make a pie out of them since you would struggle to pit such a tiny fruit.

As with most fruit - the flavor depends a lot on what the weather is like around the ripening time and at what point you pick it.

I would like to try the bush cherries:Carmine Jewel, Romeo and Crimson something or other. But so much $$ for 2.5" pots. I'm looking for a sale. For the time being I decided to grow blueberries and wait on the bush cherries. Hopefully i'll catch a sale-maybe at the end of the season? Does anyone out there know which Nurseries do actually put them on sale?

I got mine from St. Lawrence Tree Nursery up in upstate NY but I don't think they carry them anymore. You can only order in the winter and then they ship in the spring. www.stlawrencenurseries.com

Thank you John. I will check St. Lawrence for the bush cherries. What do you know about Minnie Royal and Royal Lee cherry trees? I am reading that they are low-chill sweet cherries. Hmmm...interesting, but I can't find much info about growing them in NC. If anyone else would like to chime in, please do. thanks!

You might ask on the Fruit Orchard forum here on Garden Web. I've heard those names but don't remember anyone succeeding with them here in NC.

TJ - I will definitely ask on the Fruit Orchard forum about the Minnie Royal and Royal Lee. I just saw that Dave Wilson has another new low-chill cherry for sale - 6GM25. I am sure they all do well in CA's climate, but perhaps not here. The new one is a standard anyway, which I am not interested in. I am planning to order some bush cherries over the winter-- and I am hoping they will satisfy my love of cherries.

here's a shot of one of my 'Carmine Jewels' with fruit forming.

Very nice!