Irena

As summer begins to draw to a close and most of our sweet cherry varieties have long since finished, Irena makes its appearance.

This Czech-bred sister variety to Regina is one of the very latest sweet cherries we grow. For anyone who somehow still hasn't had enough cherries after an entire summer, Irena provides a very welcome finale to the season.

And there is more to it than simply being late.

Irena is a good pollinator for several other sweet cherry varieties and can produce very substantial crops of its own. In fact, the trees can be so productive that some thinning is advisable if you want the fruit to reach its full size potential. With a sensible crop load and favourable growing conditions, Irena can produce impressively large and attractive cherries.

The flesh is somewhat softer than that of our truly crisp, firm-fleshed varieties, yet the fruit handles surprisingly well. Flavour is good, and the combination of large cherries, late ripening and high yields makes Irena a very useful variety right at the tail end of our sweet cherry season.

So if, after weeks and weeks of cherries, you still find yourself thinking:

“I could probably manage a few more...”

Irena is waiting.

- Exceptionally late – one of the last varieties we harvest
- Czech-bred sister variety to Regina
- Good pollinator for several sweet cherry varieties
- High yields – thinning recommended for optimum fruit size
- Can produce large, attractive cherries under the right conditions
- Good flavour with a slightly softer texture
- Handles surprisingly well
- For those who still haven't had enough cherries after an entire summer