Benton® Sweet Cherry Tree
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Description
A rare self-pollinating sweet cherry! Firm, dense, garnet flesh, rich mahogany skin color and pure cherry flavor, similar to Bing — but flowers a few days later, making the profuse white blooms less susceptible to frost damage. This Stella cross bears heavy crops on a vigorous tree with an upright-spreading growth habit. Preferred by commercial growers over Bing for its self-fertility. A superior mid-season variety for both fresh eating and cobblers/pies. Ripens in mid-June and stores up to 5 weeks. Semi-freestone, easy to pit. Developed at Washington State University.
Characteristics
| Bloom Color | White |
| Bloom Time | Mid - Late |
| Fruit Color | Red |
| Fruit Size | Large |
| Hardiness Zone Range | 5 - 8 |
| Pollination | Self-Pollinating |
| Ripens/Harvest | June |
| Shade/Sun | Full Sun |
| Soil Composition | Loamy |
| Soil Moisture | Well Drained |
| Soil pH Level | 6.0 - 7.0 |
| Taste | Sweet |
| Texture | Firm |
| Years to Bear | 4 - 7 |
Zone Compatibility
Pollination
This variety is self pollinating.
Tools & Supplies
Planting & Care
Learn all about how to grow cherry trees in The Growing Guide. An entire section of our website dedicated to your growing success.
Questions & Answers
Benton has a chill hours requirement of 700-800 hours, very similar to Bing.
When shipped, regular trees are about 3-4' feet tall and/or with a 3/8" or larger trunk diameter.
That is where I have mine. It’s doing well, no cherries yet, but the tree is thriving.
Resists cracking and is moderately disease-resistant.
No, You can find the years-to-bear information in the Characteristics section, near the top of the page, underneath the description. This tree takes 4-7 years to bear.
If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Have a great day!
To add to the Stark answer, I planted my tree in a pot and it is thriving!
NO it is self pollinating and does not require another tree to bear fruit.
what you’re seeing with your dwarf Benton sweet cherry tree is totally normal, especially in the first few years after planting. Here’s what’s going on:
🌱 Why There Are Leaves but No Blossoms:
Young Tree Maturity:
Most cherry trees — even dwarfs — take 2–4 years to begin blooming and setting fruit.
Your tree is using its energy to establish roots and build structure right now, which is essential for long-term health.
Environmental Factors:
If the tree experienced late frosts, unusual weather, or low chill hours, it may have skipped blooming this season.
Even a healthy tree might bloom lightly (or not at all) in its early years.
Pruning & Fertilizer:
Over-pruning or too much nitrogen fertilizer can promote leafy growth over flowers.
Aim for balanced fertilizer and avoid heavy feeding during early spring.
🍒 What to Expect:
With good care and patience, your Benton cherry should begin blooming next spring or the one after.
Once it reaches fruiting age, it will bloom annually if it receives enough sunlight, chill hours, and pollination support (Benton is self-fertile but will produce more with a partner).
No these variaties are seperate.
Our website has a special feature that will help you find the best plants for you to grow in your area. Simply enter your zip code in our Hardiness Zone Finder and as you browse our page, you’ll see a small check mark next to products that are hardy to your growing zone!
https://www.starkbros.com/zone-finder
Customer Reviews
Looking forward to future cherries.
I got it for cross-pollination, but also because it's self-pollinating, had good reviews, and I liked the description about blooming slighlty later to avoid frost and being easy to pit.
We wanted to try another type of cherry tree.
Needed pollinator
Like Bing Cherry but self pollinating.