Whitegold® Sweet Cherry Tree

Whitegold® Sweet Cherry brings together two of the finest sweet cherry varieties — Emperor Francis and Stella — in an offspring that inherits the best qualities of both parents and adds something neither parent can offer: resistance to brown rot, bacterial canker, AND black knot simultaneously. That triple disease resistance package is genuinely exceptional in sweet cherry growing, and combined with crack resistance, heavy crops of gorgeous yellow-blushed-red fruit, and self-pollinating productivity, Whitegold® stands as one of the most practically reliable sweet cherry choices available for home orchardists. Developed in Geneva, New York, introduced circa 2003. June ripening in Zones 5–7.

Triple Disease Resistance — Brown Rot, Bacterial Canker, and Black Knot

Disease management is one of the most challenging aspects of sweet cherry growing, and Whitegold® addresses three of the most common and damaging diseases simultaneously. Brown rot can devastate a cherry crop at harvest. Bacterial canker can kill limbs and entire trees. Black knot is a disfiguring fungal disease widespread in the eastern United States. Resistance to all three in one self-pollinating variety provides meaningful practical protection that reduces the spray program demands and supports more consistent annual harvests with less intervention.

Emperor Francis × Stella — The Best of Both Parents

Emperor Francis contributes the firm, crack-resistant, sweet cherry quality and reliable productivity that has made it a home orchard favorite for over a century. Stella contributes the self-pollinating habit that makes the entire variety accessible without a second tree. Their combination in Whitegold® produces a heavy-cropping, crack-resistant, disease-resistant sweet cherry that’s productive and reliable without the complexity that many premium sweet cherry varieties demand.

Yellow-Blushed-Red — Beautiful Mid-Season Fruit

Whitegold®'s gorgeous yellow-blushed-red coloring is visually distinctive — reminiscent of Rainier’s warm golden-red appearance — and the mid-season June ripening arrives at the heart of cherry season with medium-sized fruit that’s beautiful at harvest and outstanding for fresh eating, canning, and baking.

Why Growers Choose Whitegold® Sweet Cherry

• Triple disease resistance — brown rot, bacterial canker, and black knot
• Emperor Francis × Stella cross — the best qualities of two beloved sweet cherry parents
• Self-pollinating — no second tree required for productive June harvests
• Crack resistant and heavy-bearing — reliable crops season after season
• Gorgeous yellow-blushed-red fruit — beautiful at harvest and at the table
• Geneva, New York, introduced circa 2003 — proven home orchard performance