Moril:

Neither Rainier nor Bing will work well in your area. Any cherry tree you would receive in a "trade" would likely be suspect. It could be a Rainier seedling, which you definitely would not want.

If you want to try to grow a sweet cherry tree in Kansas, and none of them would be easy, you need to investigate the softer new varieties like Lapins and Black Gold. There are now quite a number of newer varieties that might work, but you need to study up on the situation before you buy, and when you do, buy from a reputable nursery that will supply you with a grafted tree of known quality.

The larger, crisp, west coast varieties are not good choices where you live, or where I live either.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

mori:

I see that Olathe is near KC, very Eastern Kansas. True this isn't the best place for sweet cherries. But if you are getting a Rainier, you will need a pollinator. There is only one kind of Bing, and Bing is a good pollinator for Rainier. But Lapins will work as well and is sometimes sold as self fertile Bing. The advantage of Lapins is that it is self fertile. So if your Rainier dies, it can set fruit by itself. Neither Rainier nor Bing will set anything by themself.

Growing cherries in your area will be challenging. But you may get some fruit, I hope so!!

The Fruitnut

Thanks, a former coworker in lives in Missouri had a sweet anne cherry that did quite well in his front yard until it fell over due to flooding. I thought they were so similar I would give it a try.

Moril:

Royal Anne, Emperor Francis, and any of the other softer, yellow/pink sweet cherries will do just fine in your area, just as they did in Missouri. I have grown them here with no problems, other than a little late rot.

But the larger, west coast cherries like Rainier and Bing are a completely different ballgame. Giving things a try sounds good, but you will wait at least 6-7 years before you get fruit set only to find the cherries all crack. It is a long time to wait to be disappointed, and that is why it is worth telling you one more time. I promise this will be the last.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Cool that's good to know, if I got a Royal Anne could I use the rainer as the pollinator.

Moril:

I promised to be quiet, but there is one more thing I should mention, since you seem to be a beginning grower. Your trade tree should not be sent to you until it is fully, dead dormant, and that would normally be in the month of November at the earliest. And it should be packed so the roots are kept continually moist until you plant it.

If you try to plant a bareroot tree in Kansas in the month of July, it will have a very short lifespan; something like two or three days. You may already know this, but since you did not mention the timing, I thought I would.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Once the temp hits 90 or higher I don't plant anything. However, its the perfect time to buy cheap plants. This summer has been one of the mildest, I can count on one hand how many times the temp has got to 90. As for being a new beginner, well I like to try a new plant every year. You can say I'm more of a trial and error kind of gardener for the last ten or so years. I love trees have five but would like more but I'm limited in space. So when the cherry tree came my way, I jumped at the chance. I don't know much about those that's why I was wondering I got a Royal Anne could I use the rainer as the pollinator.