Porthos delivers exceptional sweetness for a zone 2 hardy sour cherry, with dark red fruit that ripens in early to mid-August and a lovely, balanced acidity. The cherries are large (up to 6 g each) and versatile for fresh eating, freezing, pies, preserves, and wine.
This compact, upright, multi-stemmed shrub grows about 2 m (6 ft) tall and wide, making it ideal for food forests, permaculture plantings, or productive edible hedges.
Released in 2022 as part of the University of Saskatchewan’s Musketeer series, Porthos represents over 60 years of Prairie-specific breeding and testing to withstand temperatures as low as –45 °C.
