• Hungry songbirds also compete for the fruits, so consider using a tree net.Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
  
  For fruit production, gardeners choose from two different species of cherry trees: sweet cherry (Prunus avium) or sour/pie cherry (Prunus cerasus). Plant experts with the University of Georgia state that climate is the determining factor whether or not the cherry trees produce flowers, fruits or persist for many years. Overly cold temperatures kill twigs and flowers, while hot temperatures can cause malformed or a diminished crop of fruits. On the whole, cherry trees grow best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8.
  
  

Basic Requirements

• Both sweet and sour cherry trees excel in a fertile soil that drains well. Avoid heavy, dense soils that tend to remain soggy after rain or irrigation, or areas in the landscape that frequently flood after rain or seasonally become filled with shallow water. Cherry trees also need abundant sunlight exposure, at least 8 to 10 hours daily from spring to fall when flowers or leaves exist on the branches. The University of Georgia recommends planting a cherry tree out of low elevations where cold air and frosts occur more frequently, especially in spring when flower buds swell and open. Sweet cherries do not do well in climates with hot summers and cold winters, whereas sour types are less meticulous in climate needs.
  
  

Chilling Requirement

• Sweet and sour cherry trees need ample exposure to winter cold when dormant, a process called vernalization, in order for flowers to form. Without flowers, no fruit drop develops for harvest in summer. Sweet cherries, like cultivars Bing or Stella need substantial time exposed to winter temperatures at or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, according to "Sunset Western Garden Book." In contrast, sour cherry trees also need vernalization, but not as much cold as sweet cherry trees. Thus, sour cherry trees are easier to get to flower and produce fruit in regions with milder but cool winters.
  
  

Pollination Considerations

• Pollinated by insects like honeybees, cherry trees are regarded as being either "self-fertile" or "self-incompatible." Sour cherry trees' flowers produce fruits from the pollen provided on their own branches and are considered self-fertile. You can plant one sour cherry tree in the garden and expect it to yield fruits. Sweet cherry trees are self-incompatible. That means, multiple sweet cherry trees must grow in the garden so insects transfer pollen to flowers among the various trees. The more cherry trees, the more insects visiting blossoms and eventually leading to production of fruits.