Generally cherry trees do better with more sun. But if you are right on the borderline in terms of getting the required amount of chill hours, shade during the wintertime can be enough to tip the scale in the right direction.

The best place for plants that need full sun but also need to avoid excessive heat in warm climate is against a fence on the south side so it will get morning sun when the temperature is still cool. (at least in the northern hemisphere)

Considering that you are in Texas, avoiding excessive heat and drying out is probably a bigger issue than getting enough sun. If I can make a suggestion, perhaps put the tree in a large planter so it can get plenty of sun in its first year, then plant it in a shadier spot once it has become a little more established. (this will also allow you to move it around into the shade during the hot summer) Be sure to provide adequate irrigation so it does not dry out in the hot dry weather, but also be sure the soil does not stay perpetually damp either- this is not good for cherry tree roots. Many plants can deal with high temperatures, as long as they get plenty of continual water for evaporative cooling and to avoid drying out, but I do not think cherry trees could deal with this type of excessive watering, and you do not want to be watering your trees every day, in any case.

Finding the right balance of sun and avoiding excessive heat can be difficult. Better to err on the side of avoiding excessive heat. Your cherry may not thrive as well in Texas as it might in some other climates.

What many people may not realize is just because it is a generally hot climate does not mean it cannot also get very cold at times.

Charlie:

If it works in one spot it will work in the other. But if I had to vote I'd go shady. To really help you'd need 40-50% shade cloth from noon till sunset. The shade from a nearby obstacle usually comes too late in the day to really make much difference. Most fruit trees will take more heat than many expect as long as they remain healthy and have enough water. Cherries in your area will likely be short lived due to things like bacterial canker or cotton root rot.

Socal2warm,
We get ~800 hours of chill time and plenty of heat in the summer. I think I am going to go with the partial shade side because I know the pounding heat we often times get here and especially at that spot in my yard.

FruitNut,
I have on order a Mini Royal and a Royal Lee as well as a Lapins all on New Root-1. I sure hope they don't fall victim to the maladies you are referencing. I am planting my cherry trees in a one foot high raised bed to avoid wet feet.

My advice: when it is hot, water FREQUENTLY, but do not water too much at once. Keep the soil moist, but NOT soaked. This may take a considerable amount of labor and trouble. Might even have to water a little bit twice a day when it gets really hot, as an emergency precaution.

Err on the side of less water, unless the soil is very dry, the leaves appear to be wilting, or if you are going to be gone for a long time.

Spraying water on the foliage can also help prevent a plant from drying out, but the effect does not last long, and this is generally discouraged because it can increase the chance of disease taking hold. But as an emergency precaution, if there's a single day or two it gets really really hot, you could spray the foliage at 12:00, then again at 3:00, if you're home and willing to go to the trouble. (it's debatable how much this method really helps)

It will be easier once the cherry tree gets established (about 2-3 years after planting).

With a cherry tree in a hot climate, it's going to be a tight balance between getting it adequate water, and preventing disease from taking hold.

That being said, I know for certain cherry trees can be grown in the high desert (as long as they get their chill), and they can tolerate a few days with very high temperatures. They just do not tend to grow very vigorously. (They'll survive but not thrive)

This post was edited by Socal2warm on Thu, Jan 29, 15 at 0:09

Socal2warm,
Thanks for the advice. I will definitely take it. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question.

I'm giving up on sweet cherries, they look for ways to die. I've tried Stella, lapin, Minnie royal, royal lee. My sour cherry northstar does good, but the pit size to cherry size ratio is kinda lousy.