Cornus Kousa or an edible cheery tree for garden border

[PaperCrane555]

Trying to choose between the 2. Cherry a consideration as like to get use from trees in the garden and have apples but also like the look of a Cornus Kousa . It would be in a border in front of a fence so size an issue as well as aesthetics .

If it were me I'd absolutely get a self-fertile cherry - I think cherry blossom is gorgeous and you might get some fruit if the birds don't steal it first! I've got a morello and people literally stop at the gate and tell me how pretty it is when it's in flower.

Yes was thinking of a Stella. Wondering which is more compact and still wresting with the conundrum. A Cornus would be pretty…..

Well, Stella you'd want to prune to get it to fruit well. And cherry blossom is really, really pretty. I know it doesn't last long but it's very special when it is in flower.

You’ll need to net it well and very early (which is not that attractive) to get fruit.

Pigeons will strip a cherry tree of every tiny green fruit as soon as they spot it. The bastards.
After them come squirrels, who are good at getting inside netting. If there are any left, the blackbirds and other songbirds will try for anything ripening, but aren’t adept net-wranglers.

We have had 14 actual cherries in 8 years 🙄

Also soil type - most cherry rootstock hate clay, so keep an eye on that.

Cherry trees are gorgeous, but have been out most difficult to crop from.

Gosh, I've been lucky with my cherries!

How about an amelenchier? I know you weren't asking for other suggestions but worth looking at......
I love the idea of a cheery tree. They always make me feel better.

My cherries very seldom get enough sun to ripen! But my (Victoria) plum tree always does well it has lovely blossom, and prolific fruit (although I hand pollinate) it's easy to prune to keep it small for the bed it's in. Cherries can grow very big if left unchecked!

Got an Amalanchier. Arghhhh not got greengage in my head too. Maybe a cherry isn’t worth it if you get little fruit. We do have clay soil.

Good old Vicky plums are great fruit producers.
Greengages have a habit of cropping every second or third year very heavily, and all ripen in the same 10 days so it's feast and famine. Absolutely gorgeous when they do crop, but need eating (or making into jam or crumble) immediately.

Damsons are nice wee plum trees - extremely tart fruit, makes amazing jam.

Apple blossom is lovely, and there are so many apple varieties suited to the British climate. Lots store well, and are also loved by wildlife but make enough not to leave you short.

Pear can blossom well but fruit erratically, and we've had unfortunately bitter fruit.

Cherry trees tend to do better in the south of the country (where I am not) than the north.