PRUNUS AVIUM STELLA GISELA 5 RIPENING CHERRIES

Earlier this year my cherry tree began to make fruit but when the cherries were tiny and green, the Wood Pigeon which visits my garden took its life in its beak and started to pull off the cherries, so I put a net over the whole tree.  That, although the tree is only a dwarf, was no mean feat. Then, the green cherries seemed to stop growing after a spell of cold weather, and it seemed as if they would be a lost crop this year, so I removed the netting which stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of the perennial border.   Now, perversely, the cherries seem to have grown somewhat and are looking as if they might ripen after all.  Such is the plight of the farmer/gardener and watch out, now that infernal pigeon will be back again.   When I was a child my father used to bring home pigeons and my mum would make a pigeon pie.  Pigeon pie, anyone? 

Ripening cherries - Prunus Avium Stella Gisela 5

I just cannot bring myself to mess around with canes and netting to protect the tree again; the perennials around it are quite large now and so much damage is bound to happen by me standing on them!