Guide: Cherry
In Spain the cherry tree is grown for fruit, often in mountain valleys and on terraces. Before its leaves are fully out it is covered in white blossom, and for a few days whole hillsides look snow-covered. It is one of the most visited blooms of spring.
When
It usually happens between mid-March and late April; in the highest or coldest valleys it can stretch into early May. Altitude matters a lot: blossom opens first in the lower areas and moves uphill. Late-winter weather also plays a part: a mild spell brings it forward and a cold one holds it back. In each area the peak lasts around a week to ten days.
Where
The Jerte valley (Cáceres) is the best-known landscape. There is also cherry blossom in the Tiétar valley (Ávila), the Caderechas valley (Burgos), the Bierzo (Corullón), the Ribeira Sacra (Chantada), the Hoya de Huesca (Bolea), the Vall de Gallinera (Alicante), Sierra Mágina (Jaén) and Alfarnate (Málaga).
How to tell the moment
At bud stage the buds swell and white begins to show. With the first flowers a few trees open while others stay closed. At full bloom the crowns look completely white and the leaves are barely out. At the end the petals fall, the ground turns white and the trees fill with green leaves.
How to see it
Cherry orchards are private, working farms: do not go in or cut branches or flowers, because every flower is a cherry the farmer loses. Explore by road, public paths and waymarked routes. Park in designated places and do not block farm entrances. Festival weekends bring heavy traffic to the valleys: if you can, go on a weekday or early in the morning.
Did you know?
Most cherry varieties cannot be fertilised by their own pollen: they need pollen from another compatible variety that flowers at the same time. That is why growers mix in pollinator trees, and bees and bumblebees are essential for there to be any cherries.
Where we follow it
- Alfarnate · MálagaFrom mid-March to late April
- Bolea · HuescaFrom mid-March to late April
- Chantada · LugoFrom mid-March to late April
- Corullón · LeónFrom mid-March to late April
- Torres (Sierra Mágina) · JaénFrom mid-March to mid-April
- Vall de Gallinera · AlicanteFrom mid-March to mid-April
- Valle de las Caderechas · BurgosFrom early April to mid-May
- Valle del Jerte · CáceresFrom mid-March to mid-April
- Valle del Tiétar · ÁvilaFrom mid-March to late April
Usual season: dates from past years, for guidance only. Each year it comes earlier or later depending on the weather.
Tell me when it blooms: cherry
We will email you when flowering starts. One email per season, no advertising.
Sources: turismovalledeljerte.com · turismoextremadura.com · dialnet.unirioja.es · innovagri.es