Is Hansen’s bush cherry a selection of Prunus besseyi, or is it simply the species? Does anyone know?
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Definitely selected over several generations for consistent sweetness and size. Dr. Hansen wrote an account of how he produced this variety.
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How does it compair to other tart cherries / or like the romance cherries? It sounds quite hardy, but I havent heard a lot of hype, make me think it more ornamental than eating.
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They are not really very cherry like. Hansen’s fruit resembles a “Bing” cherry in appearance - not in flavor or texture. No aromatics, pulpy, juicy flesh. They need heat and full sun for no astringency and higher sugars. Great culinary fruit and some, like me, like them fresh when fully ripe. Good air movement helps keep monila fungus at bay.
A friend of mine liked them blended into the wet ingredients of fruit pie.
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Well I got to taste around 2 this year. Has the black cherry flavor profile. I expect the fruit to row larger as the bushes get older but right now they are blueberry sized.
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so is it tasty?
oh yea, I am pleased. and looking forward to more.
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I’m curious if anyone here has any updates on their ‘Hansen’s’ bush cherry. I just started growing it this year and it already had its first bloom at around two feet tall (not surprisingly it didn’t set a fruit). Looking forward to finding out if it’ll be worth growing here since I don’t have a long, hot growing season.
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Western Sand Cherry is used as a landscape plant pretty commonly here. I think they are all terrible. Many never fully lose astringency. The ones that do lose astringency are insipid. I’m in Reno, NV with plenty of heat.
Based on your wording, is it safe to assume you’ve only tasted ornamental selections and not ‘Hansen’s’ which was selected for improved fruit quality?
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I’ve only tasted seed grown, both black and yellow fruited. While they are used for landscaping projects here as they are a zero scape plant, they are not an ornamental selection. I looked into purchasing Hansen’s bush cherry, and was informed by the couple nurseries selling them that they were just seedling grown sand cherries. Sorry, I don’t recall which nurseries they were, but only a few carry sand cherries labeled as Hansen’s.
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I purchased 3 from Gurneys last year. They were severely neglected by lack of water. I’ll check them to see if any are alive and if they bloomed.
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I didn’t find them to be desirable.
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Prunus besseyi are small and mostly pit . They produce heavy. It took me a long time to eliminate most of my 2 rows i replaced with better things long term. Short term if your just starting out by all means grow them. All fruitss contain some poisons like cyanide. Prunuss besseyi has higher piisons than most. In the quantity you eat it they are fine short term. Never injest the pit or any other part of the plant beside the fruit. The fruit is bitter until cooked.
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Did you have seedlings or the improved named selection called ‘Hansen’s’?
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I have grown both. There is not a huge difference but hansen is an improved type.
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