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Tasting notes and identification advice for apples, pears, plums, cherries and other orchard varieties.

Vega cherry

Prunus avium

Vega is a large-fruited modern white cherry with an excellent flavor. The cherries are an attractive yellow / red color, with a pale light colored flesh.

Vega is not self-fertile but is readily pollinated by self-fertile varieties such as Stella and Sweetheart. Vega blooms over an unusually long period, and may be a good pollinator for other cherry cultivars.

Vega was developed in Canada but its origins and parentage are unknown.

USDA identification images for Vega

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Parents and other ancestors of this variety


    Visitor reviews

    • 02 Feb 2012  TahirUnited Kingdom
      A good, crisp white cherry, needs to be really ripe to compare with Rainier or Merton Glory for flavour

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    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2025 season

    • 30th March  2025  - tree owned by Richard in Objat, France

    2022 season

    • 29th March  2022  - tree owned by Richard in Objat, France

    Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.


    Origins

    • Species: Prunus avium - Sweet cherry

    Identification

    • Country of origin: Canada
    • Period of origin: 1950 - 1999
    • Fruit colour: Red
    • Flower colour: White
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Annual cycle: Deciduous

    Using

    • Picking season: Mid
    • Keeping (of fruit): 1-3 days
    • Flavour quality: Good
    • Cropping: Good
    • Fruit persistence: Normal ripening
    • Food uses: Eating fresh
    • Picking period: mid-July
    • Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators

    Growing

    • Gardening skill: Experienced
    • Flowering group: 4
    • Pollinating others: Good
    • Vigour: Average vigour
    • Bearing regularity: Regular
    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
    • Cherry universal pollinator: Yes
    • Cherry incompatibility group: 12

    Climate

    • Climate suitability: Temperate climates
    • Climate suitability: Warm climates
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)

    Other qualities

    • Brown rot: Some susceptibility
    • Fruit splitting: Some susceptibility


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