Hi Darren! I'm not sure what your climate is like over there in Lancashire, but you'll need to prevent the pot from freezing, yet your cherry tree needs that winter dormancy. So, I would keep it as is for now, but bury the pot underground with a layer of mulch on top. This would insulate the rootball & it won't get blown over which is the goal for now. Give it a trim if you want. Come March, I would lift it & plant it as you normally would. Not against the house wall. The tree still needs full exposure to sun & percipitation, even over winter.

Is it bare root or already in a container? I'm assuming its not a patio type cherry tree ... And how cold is it up there currently? Here in the South, we've still weeds germinating in the ground, tiny, but still germinating, which means the soil is not yet very cold. If you're in the same situation there, plant it asap, assuming you've prepared the area already, or have time to do so quickly, Cherry trees tend to want to put out long roots lateralluy just under the surface of the soil, as well as sending some down, and it can't do that in a pot... And if your tree is bare root, absolutely plant it now, assuming the soil is not frozen.

Darren - Did you just purchase this tree now? Is it in a pot? I've never seen trees sold 'bareroot'. That's a strange concept to me and irresponsible for a plant nursery to do that. It will take a few months to get rooted in. That's why i'd wait until Spring. If it's bareroot & you just bought it, take it back & get your money back. Wait for Spring. Cherry trees are dormant now & won't do anything anyway if you plant it now, except blow over with the first storm you get. Then what?

I'm trying to help my neighbour out so details are a bit scarce at the moment. He suffered a major brain injury a while back...
It's on order & may be bare root. I said to buy a big tub & enough G.P. compost to fill it. His back wall area is on paving slabs & is almost exactly South facing so gets maximum light & is the most consistently warm area. Temperatures here are fairly mild at the moment at about 8-10c in the day but we'll probably have a sub-zero night within 30 days.
Being somebody that doesn't like to throw out plastics, I've got loads of bubble wrap. & cherries are generally pretty Winter hardy??

Cherries are fully hardy, and if its bare root, it needs to go straight into the ground. Deciduous, hardy trees, shrubs and roses sent out bare root have been supplied for decades in the UK; they are intended to be planted straight into the ground within a short time period of receiving them - they are not generally sent out from nurseries until October at the very earliest, more usually November/December. The only time you don't plant them straight away is if the ground is either waterlogged or frozen, when they should be heeled into a trench or rough hole somewhere until conditions improve. And it won't blow over - I've planted at least two plum trees, a couple of ornamental cherries, a rowan, crabapple and one apple tree bare root down the years, every time planting during December. It's usual to stake a tree when its first planted anyway, even if its been in a pot. And it won't need winter protection either - just make sure your neighbour does not make the mistake of leaving it under shelter or indoors when it arrives. If he's not well enough to have prepared a planting area for it, maybe you could do that for him Darren, if you're able - its best to get that prepared at least a week prior to arrival of the tree, preferably incorporating some composted manure or good garden compost. Then all that needs to be done when it arrives is the hole dug and the tree planted and staked.

I don't think bare root plants are viable in areas where winters are particularly cold and harsh - the likelihood is, the ground freezes in early winter and remains frozen, so lifting them and then re- planting would not be possible, but that is not the case here, where we have a temperate, maritime climate, also meaning that bare root plants will settle in nicely during winter ready to grow next spring.

If its a single stem patio tree meant to grow in a container, to be honest, the best potting soil for long term shrubs and trees in containers is actually John Innes No. 3 because its loam based, rather than multi purpose (if that's what you mean by GP), though a mix of the two is okay if you want to reduce the weight of the container for some reason.

On my calendar it says tree planting season started 17th November. I planted a large bundle of bare root trees in a spare part of our Local burial ground two years ago - they came from a national society promoting tree planting so its safe to assume they sent them out at the right timefor this country.

My whole point was to prevent the rootball from freezing & here we are almost December. Obviously it depends on your climate, which was my first point. I shake my head hearing how things are done in the UK. Thanks for sharing Steragram - I'm glad you are proactive in planting lots of trees. I hope you get to see them grow big and strong. :)

The USDA zone for Long Island is 7a/7b - that means winter temperatures are between -12 and -17deg C, which means the ground would freeze and probably stay frozen during winter. For most of the UK, average winter temperatures will rarely get down to -12C, more usually sticking between -10 and 8 degC. Even when we have a cold snap, it passes, and normal average temperatures are restored, usually within 10 days, so its rare for the soil to actually freeze to any depth, though frost is common. The winter of1963-64 I think it was when the ground froze and stayed frozen - along with the Thames and parts of the sea. It's been known for Christmas Day to be as warm or warmer than a pretty cold day in June... weather here is very variable, but generally warmer than it was, say, 50 years ago.

I'm actually in 6b, but thanks for telling me where I live, lol! Haven't seen Moongrowe in a while - that's what she used to do. Not sure how I always get into a diddy with you on every single post no matter how much I try to avoid it. Again, my whole point is to prevent the rootball from freezing, but it depends on your climate. Was that the 3rd time? I'm not a meteorologist for the United Kingdom.

Thanks all, that helps. I'll try to verify delivery date & get my fork & spade out. It's a sheltered spot & the paved area might help stabilise nearby soil temperatures.
Just hope there's not too much rubble!

Bare rooted trees are normal here throughout Scotland. Even in a hard winter there are few places were the ground stays frozen to any depth for more than a couple of weeks at a time.

Bathgate- I was merely trying to be helpful and inform you in regard to the climate here, since I know you are not a resident. As for your USDA zone, your profile says you live in Long Island, so that's where I got the winter temperature fix from, having looked it up. Zone 6b would be even colder I imagine, so unsurprising you don't know about bare root plants, they'd not be viable wherever it is you do live. If you found the information offensive in some way, then just ignore it, it was not intended to be so.

Bulbaholic - thanks for that, its something I've always been curious about. You'll note I said 'most' of the UK in my other answer because I really wasn't sure just how cold Scotland gets in parts during winter! Useful to know...

Darren: what a kind thing to do for your neighbour... its chucking it down here and that's forecast for most of this week, so I hope the weather's being more well behaved up there!

In some of the most exposed moutain areas such as Aviemore, Braemar, Tomintoul I would not expect gardeners to plant bare-root trees in winter. Most of us are not hardy enough to live in these places and live on lower plains where we can generally get away with planting these.

If a place is by a loch, does that mean its slightly warmer, Bulbaholic?

If it is a sea loch, especially on the west coast, then it would be warmer. Freshwater lochs, by their location, would not be warmer Bamboo.

Same here Bulbaholic. I live on Long Island which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Just a few miles will put you into a different USDA zone - warmer eastward, colder westward.

I thought that, Bathgate. You also benefit from a maritime climate. We are just a couple of miles from the sea to the north but ten miles south, into the mountains, it is very different.

Yep, those few miles changes everything. Many plants out east, won't grow in my garden.

Looks like I'm out in the rain to plant the convallaria I forgot I ordered anyways.
Might as well double up putting the cherry in?

well I guess, but planting some Convallaria is a much lesser job than preparing an area for a tree, then planting. Hopefully you won't have to do it all in the rain!

Suitably planted in soil! Hope for him it does well...