Hally Jolivette Cherry

This is a beautiful little cherry tree with semi-double blossom that starts as pink buds opening to white flowers with pink eyes. The flowers come out before the leaves but don’t open up all at the same time so they remain effective for a 10 to 20 day period in late April to early May.

This cherry is the result of a cross between Prunus subhirtella and Prunus x yedoensis then backcrossed to Prunus subhirtella, both are native to Japan. Prunus subhirtella, commonly known as Higan Cherry, is a long lived cherry and the most cold, heat and stress tolerant of all the cherries. It’s also a fast grower. They have been known to grow in brick hard clay, which of course we have a lot of in Rochester.

As for ‘Hally Jolivette’ other parent, Prunus x yedoensis, it has been described as one of the most beautiful and graceful of the cherries. These can be found flowering in early spring in the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. and there’s even a Cherry Festival in Macon, Georgia to celebrate these trees planted along the streets. With parents like these ‘Hally Jolivette’ stands out in the landscape as a profuse bloomer, a fast grower (almost 3 feet a year!!) and adaptable to harsher environments such as hot summers, cold winters and dry clay.

You can expect these trees to reach a height of 20 feet with a rounded head and a dense branching habit. They would prefer to be planted in full sun but can tolerate light shade.