Cherry Trees in Ontario
Yes, cherries grow in Ontario — but which kind depends entirely on your zone. Sour cherries (Montmorency, Meteor, North Star) are hardy to Zone 4, self-fertile, and succeed almost everywhere in the province. Sweet cherries (Bing, Stella, Lapins) need Zone 5–6 and are only realistic in the Zone 6b–7a band along the lakes — Windsor, Niagara, Hamilton, Toronto. In Zone 3b Thunder Bay, drop to Nanking cherry or the Romance series. The mistake that ends most Ontario cherry attempts is buying a sweet cherry for a Zone 5 garden.
Will cherries thrive where you garden?
Check your hardiness zone and your city's exact frost dates first — two free tools.
Ontario Zones — Where Cherries Grow
Ontario spans four full hardiness zones, and cherries are unusually sensitive to exactly that spread. Zones below come from the Canadian hardiness zone data for each city.
| City | Zone | Sweet cherries? | Sour cherries? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor | 7a | Yes | Yes |
| St. Catharines | 7a | Yes | Yes |
| Toronto | 6b | Yes | Yes |
| Markham | 6b | Yes | Yes |
| Mississauga | 6b | Yes | Yes |
| Brampton | 6b | Yes | Yes |
| Hamilton | 6b | Yes | Yes |
| Niagara Falls | 6b | Yes | Yes |
| London | 6a | Borderline | Yes |
| Kingston | 6a | Borderline | Yes |
| Kitchener | 6a | Borderline | Yes |
| Oshawa | 6a | Borderline | Yes |
| Barrie | 5b | No | Yes |
| Guelph | 5b | No | Yes |
| Ottawa | 5a | No | Yes |
| Sudbury | 4b | No | Yes |
| Thunder Bay | 3b | No | Nanking / Romance instead |
"Borderline" means Zone 6a — sweet cherries often succeed there in a sheltered, sunny, well-drained spot, and occasionally die in a severe winter. Don't see your town? Find your zone →
Cherry Types for Ontario — At a Glance
| Type | Hardy to | Needs a partner? | Where in Ontario |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sour / pie Montmorency, Meteor, North Star | Zone 4 | No — self-fertile | Almost the whole province |
| Sweet Bing, Rainier, Stella, Lapins | Zone 5–6 | Usually — Stella & Lapins are self-fertile | Zone 6b–7a south only |
| Nanking cherry Prunus tomentosa | Zone 3 | Yes — plant two | Anywhere, incl. Thunder Bay |
| Romance series Carmine Jewel, Romeo, Juliet | Zone 3 | No — self-fertile | Anywhere; bush-sized |
| Flowering / ornamental Kwanzan and similar | Zone 5–6 | n/a — no useful fruit | Southern Ontario |
Can You Grow Sweet Cherries in Ontario? The Honest Answer
This is the question most Ontario gardeners are really asking, because sweet cherries are the ones you actually want to eat off the tree. The answer is yes in the Zone 6b–7a band and no further north, and it is worth being blunt about that rather than optimistic — a sweet cherry planted in Barrie or Ottawa is a slow, expensive disappointment.
Where it works: Windsor and St. Catharines (7a), then Toronto, Hamilton, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham and Niagara Falls (6b). Where it is a gamble: London, Kingston, Kitchener and Oshawa at 6a — a sheltered, sunny, well-drained site often carries them, and a severe winter occasionally does not. Where to stop trying: Barrie and Guelph (5b), Ottawa (5a), Sudbury (4b), Thunder Bay (3b). Grow sour cherries there and you will get fruit every year instead of a tree that struggles.
Two more things that argue for sour cherries even where sweet ones survive: sweet cherries split and rot in a wet Ontario summer far more readily, and they are the first fruit in the garden that birds strip.
Pollination — Which Ones Need a Second Tree
A surprising number of Ontario cherry failures are not hardiness at all — they are a healthy tree that flowers beautifully and sets nothing, because it needed a partner nobody planted. The rule is simple: most sour cherries are self-fertile and most sweet cherries are not.
- Montmorency, Meteor, North Star — self-fertile. One tree, full crop.
- Bing, Rainier — need a compatible partner nearby.
- Stella, Lapins — self-fertile sweet cherries, and the sensible choice if you have room for only one.
- Nanking cherry — plant at least two.
- Carmine Jewel, Romeo, Juliet — self-fertile.
Flowering Cherries Are a Different Tree
If what you actually want is blossom rather than fruit, you are after a flowering or ornamental cherry — Kwanzan being the double-pink cultivar most people have in mind, and the one behind Toronto's High Park displays. Generally rated Zone 5–6, so southern Ontario suits them. They set no useful fruit.
Their real Ontario limitation is not cold but lifespan: flowering cherries are relatively short-lived, often 20–30 years, and prone to canker and borers. Plant one as a spectacular medium-term feature, not as the permanent tree in a small garden. Our ornamental cherry guide covers cultivars and siting in detail.
The Two Things That Actually Cost You the Crop
Frost during bloom. Cherries flower before or as the leaves emerge — late April in Windsor and Niagara, early-to-mid May across southwestern Ontario, mid-to-late May in Ottawa and the north. Open blossom is damaged around −2 °C, and much of Ontario is still frosting then. A late frost costs the season's fruit without harming the tree. Planting on a gentle slope with air drainage, rather than in a low pocket where cold settles, genuinely improves the odds. Check your city's last frost date →
Birds. More Ontario cherry crops are lost to birds than to winter. The only thing that reliably works is netting the whole tree before the fruit starts to colour. This is the strongest practical argument for a naturally dwarf variety: North Star at 2.5–3 m can be netted by one person, and a full-size standard cherry simply cannot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you grow cherries in Ontario?
Yes — and in almost every part of the province, provided you pick the right kind. Sour cherries (Montmorency, Meteor, North Star) are hardy to Zone 4, which covers everywhere from Windsor to Sudbury, and they are self-fertile so a single tree crops on its own. Sweet cherries (Bing, Stella, Lapins, Rainier) need Zone 5–6 and are realistic only in the Zone 6b–7a band along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario — Windsor, St. Catharines, Niagara, Hamilton, Toronto and Mississauga. In Thunder Bay at Zone 3b, drop to the Nanking cherry or the University of Saskatchewan Romance series, both hardy to Zone 3. The mistake that ends most Ontario cherry attempts is buying a sweet cherry for a Zone 5 or colder garden.
What types of cherry trees grow in Ontario?
Four groups, in descending order of how much of the province they suit. Sour or pie cherries — Montmorency, Meteor, North Star — Zone 4, self-fertile, the right default for most Ontario gardens and the best choice for pies, jam and freezing. Sweet cherries — Bing, Stella, Lapins, Rainier — Zone 5–6, for eating fresh, and only reliable in the Zone 6b–7a south. Nanking cherry (Prunus tomentosa) — Zone 3, a large shrub rather than a tree, small tart fruit, and the toughest option there is. The University of Saskatchewan Romance series — Carmine Jewel, Romeo, Juliet — Zone 3, bush-sized, bred on the Prairies for exactly this problem. Separately, flowering or ornamental cherries such as Kwanzan are grown for blossom and produce no useful fruit.
Can you grow sweet cherries in Ontario?
Only in the warm south, and it is worth being honest about where that ends. Sweet cherries are reliably hardy to Zone 5–6, so the realistic Ontario range is the Zone 6b–7a band: Windsor and St. Catharines at 7a, then Toronto, Hamilton, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham and Niagara Falls at 6b. London, Kingston, Kitchener and Oshawa at 6a are borderline — they will often succeed in a sheltered, sunny, well-drained site and occasionally lose a tree in a severe winter. Barrie and Guelph at 5b, Ottawa at 5a, and anywhere colder should grow sour cherries instead. Sweet cherries are also more prone to fruit cracking in wet summers and are far more attractive to birds.
Do cherry trees need two trees to produce fruit in Ontario?
It depends on the type, and this is where a lot of Ontario gardeners go wrong. Most sour cherries are self-fertile — Montmorency, Meteor and North Star will each set a full crop from a single tree, which is one more reason they suit small Ontario gardens. Most sweet cherries are not: Bing and Rainier both need a compatible pollination partner nearby. If you only have room for one sweet cherry, choose a self-fertile cultivar such as Stella or Lapins. Nanking cherries need at least two plants for cross-pollination, and the Romance series cultivars are self-fertile.
What is the best cherry tree to grow in Ontario?
For most of the province, Montmorency — it is Zone 4 hardy, self-fertile, widely available, and the standard pie cherry in Canada. If you want a smaller tree, North Star is a natural dwarf reaching about 2.5–3 m, which suits an average Ontario back garden and makes netting against birds realistic. In the Zone 6b–7a south, if you specifically want fresh eating cherries, Stella is the sensible first sweet cherry because it is self-fertile and needs no partner. In Thunder Bay or any Zone 3 site, Carmine Jewel from the Romance series is the reliable pick.
When do cherry trees bloom in Ontario?
Cherries bloom in spring before or as the leaves emerge — generally late April in Windsor and the Niagara region, early to mid May through Toronto and southwestern Ontario, and mid to late May in Ottawa and the north. That bloom timing is the crop's main weakness in Ontario: open cherry blossom is damaged at roughly −2 °C, and much of the province still sees frost during the bloom window. A late frost costs that season's fruit without harming the tree. Siting on a gentle slope or a spot with good air drainage, rather than a low frost pocket, measurably improves the odds. Check your own city's last frost date to see how much overlap you are dealing with.
Can you grow cherry blossom trees in Ontario?
Yes — flowering cherries are a different plant from fruiting cherries and are grown purely for blossom. Kwanzan (Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan') is the double-pink cultivar most people picture and is generally rated Zone 5–6, which suits southern Ontario; Toronto's High Park plantings are the best-known example. They set no useful fruit. Their limitation in Ontario is lifespan rather than hardiness: flowering cherries are relatively short-lived trees, often 20–30 years, and are prone to canker and borers. Treat one as a spectacular medium-term feature rather than a permanent shade tree.
Why do birds get all my cherries in Ontario?
Because ripe cherries are among the most attractive fruit in an Ontario garden and birds find them before you do — this is the single most common complaint from Ontario cherry growers, more so than winter damage. The only genuinely effective answer is netting the whole tree before the fruit begins to colour, not once it has ripened. This is the practical argument for a naturally dwarf variety such as North Star: a 2.5–3 m tree can actually be netted by one person, while a full-size standard cherry cannot. Scare devices work briefly and then stop working.