I bought a compact stella from arbor day society about ten years back It is a beautiful compact tree but I don’t think it is a sweet cherry. The leaves are very small,as are the blooms. It blooms later than the tart cherries and has never set fruit. I bought it because stella was supposedly self fertile. I thought compact stella was a natural compact tree and not on a dwarfing rootstock… I think I have just the rootstock. Anyone know what they used? I’m grafting several sweet cherries onto it and they seem to be taking.
I doubt they’ll know. I had a similar experience with The Arbor Day Foundation in 2011 when I ordered a Belle of Georgia, and a Golden Jubilee. I nursed the trees along and they finally made some peaches in '13 (13 of 'em…) and they were both the same peach. I posted on the other forum as to what kind of peach it could be and it was eventually decided that it was an Earlitreat. Someone suggested I contact Arbor Day and see if they could tell me anything about it, or where they get their trees etc. Arbor Day had no idea. The best they could do was offer to re-send me the original tree varieties I’d ordered.
Of course the Earlitreat is a bit out of our hardiness zone and so I’ve got some years invested in them with one crop. They’ll come out this year. But most everyone said the same thing, the outfits that cater to commercial growers are the ones to trust when ordering trees, because you’re most likely to get what you ordered from them.
BTW, I have a Stella coming from Grandpa’s Orchard this month.
IowaJer, I would bud graft some desirable varieties on those trees in August. Plenty of people here would send you budwood. By doing multiple varieties you can spread out harvest, plus variety of flavor is enjoyable as well. Not to mention you should have been swimming in peaches by now, so this variety is sucking for you regardless of how well it may work elsewhere.
where in IA are you?
I’m 25 miles North of Omaha/CB in MV. (I think you and I emailed a few times b4 - My bride’s a Realtor and you had designs on ground etc. You’re in CB right?)
Anyway, the decision to yank these is made easier when the footprint for a new machine shed sets right on 'em anyway!
Oh yes. I know who you are 
I can hook you up with a variety of budwood for peaches that do well here, including the two you thought you were getting.
Here is my 3 year old Stella - it is about 6’ tall maintained with summer pruning. It is on Colt rootstock. It has produced very well last year and this year. We’re in N. Calif. I have an older Stella tree, but no other sweet cherries in the area that I know of - they are completely self fertile.
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Beautiful tree
Thank you for the offer cckw, but I think I’m going to have peaches running out my ears as it is before it’s over.
Right now I’ve got the 2 Earlitreat, Redhaven, PF17, Madison, Intrepid, and Indian Free, with Contender, Reliance, and PF24c coming in yet this month. So I’m going to have 8 peaches after removing the Earlitreat.
That’s a very nice tree Letsski.