Article by David Marks

Merton Glory was raised in Cambridgeshire in the 1940’s. It has never been grown commercially because it bruises easily

Use the checklist below to decide if the Merton Glory cherry tree variety is correct for you and your garden. If Merton Glory is not the correct variety, see our cherry tree varieties  page here, to select another variety which may suit you better.

• Only really suitable for growing in warmer parts of the UK because blossom first appears on average in the second week of April (pollination group 2).
• The fruits are produced mid-season, ready for eating, on average, in the first to second week of July
• Fruits are of larger than average size. It is classified as a “white cherry” because of its clear juice. The skin is a shiny yellow base highly flushed deep pink especially on the sun-facing side. Sweet and juicy.
• The picking period is a week to ten days.
• This variety reliably produces lots of fruit although it takes a year longer to begin fruiting
• Disease resistance is good and it is canker resistant.
• It is self-sterile and needs a matching pollination partner to produce fruit.
• It is fully hardy in all parts of the UK (however, see above about blossom)

Merton Glory Cherries. Picture courtesy of www.bethrwandotblogspot.co.uk

WHERE TO BUY MERTON GLORY CHERRY TREES

Merton Glory is unlikely to be found in your local garden centre but is easily available online on both Colt and Gisela 5 rootstocks. Chris Bowers and Sons sell this variety at a reasonable price.

POLLINATION PARTNERS FOR MERTON GLORY CHERRY

Merton Glory is self-sterile and needs a suitable pollination partner to produce fruit. The following varieties produces blossom at the correct time and are easily obtainable in the UK:

• Early Rivers, pollination group 1, eating variety
• Knight’s Early Black, pollination group 2 to 3, eating variety
• Lapins / Cherokee, pollination group 2 to 3, eating variety
• Merton Bigarreau, pollination group 3, eating variety
• Van, pollination group 3, eating variety

HOW LARGE WILL MERTON GLORY GROW

On Colt rootstock Merton Glory will grow to about 4m / 13ft tall when it has reached maturity after about 7 years. With an annual prune it can easily be kept to 2.4m / 8ft high for a manageable tree in most gardens.

On Gisela 5 rootstock it will grow to about 3m tall and can be pruned easily to 2m high.

ALTERNATIVES TO MERTON GLORY

Click on the box below to see the full range of cherry tree varieties which we have reviewed in detail. Click on any one of them to see the full variety review.

 

CONDITIONS FOR GROWING MERTON GLORY CHERRIES

The following are the key rules for growing this variety, click here for more detailed information about growing and pruning cherry trees:

• Plant and grow in a full sun position.
• The best time to plant Merton Glory is in late autumn to early winter. It can be planted at other times of year but will require watering more frequently to ensure it establishes well.
• Stake the tree for the first two years of its life on a Colt rootstock. If grown on Gisela 5 rootstock, stake for its life.
• In the first summer after planting the tree, water well if conditions become dry.
• Prune Merton Glory in the first year according to the suppliers instructions. Prune annually in later years, soon after the fruit has stopped being produced which will be about the third week of July for Merton Glory. See our detailed article on pruning cherry trees.