Fruit Trees: Ornamental and Bearing

Yoshino Cherry Trees

This President’s Day I did wonder how the whole cherry tree/President Washington thing got going.  From the little research I did, it was probably a myth created by an early biographer to illustrate Washington’s honesty.  But, honestly, I do love cherry trees!  This is a wonderful time to begin some fruit magic, both ornamental and husbandarily (oh, a bit of a stretch to mean the eating kind!)

If you drive on Rt. 64 near Subway you will see deep pink cherry trees (Okame) the earliest ornamental fruit tree to blossom.  They are a wonderful balm to bleak winter but often get zapped by frost.  Sticking with cherries the next to bloom will be Yoshino (the ones that strut their stuff in Washington).  These fast growing trees produce lovely light pink blossoms in a canopy that is wider than tall.  Kwanzan is the last variety to bloom with fluffy, double petaled flowers after the leaves have arrived.  With just these three varieties you could cover spring with pink petals.  However, there are varieties that will actually produce fruit.  This part of North Carolina can sustain sour cherry trees more easily than the sweet variety, but recently developed varieties do well.  ‘Montomorency’, a variety of sour cherry, and Black Tartarian, an early sweet variety, may do better than most.

Soon our countryside will be dotted with those lovely blossoms of pyrus calleryana (ornamental Pear), another early bloomer.  Oh, they are soooo tempting, but a Bradford Pear does have BIG liabilities.  It’s overgrown, has stinky blossoms, and is a very weak-limbed tree.  The ‘Cleveland’ variety is a better choice if you must, but it is narrow.  A ‘Kwanzan’ cherry would be an excellent substitute.  But why not go for the real deal!  Fruiting pears do well in our area.  There are two main kinds, Asian and European.  Both need at least two cultivars to ensure adequate pollination (and they will not be pollinators for each other).  The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has a list of varieties that have been tested here and do well.  For Asian Pears, they recommend Twentieth Century (Nijisseiki), Nititaka (a pollen source), Shinjseik (New Century), and Chojuro and for European varieties: Moonglow, Magness, Kieffer, Harrow Delight, Harrow Sweet, Harvest Queen, and Seckeil.

Peaches are another beautiful tree with scrumptious fruit.  I had assumed they would do poorly here, but I was misguided.  N.C. State has a peach-breeding program to develop excellent cultivars for our area.  They do not require pollinators, but do require a spray program during the growing season.  There are many varieties available, but as with cherries, choose those that require at least 750 hours of chilling.

All of these need full sun, good drainage, and fairly fertile soils with a Ph of 6.0 to 6.5. 

As you imagine, there is more to this than these few words can cover.  The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has brochures and on-line guides for all the fruit available for North Carolina gardeners.  We’ll try to cover more next time.  

Eleanor Moyer