Down the Garden Path of Fruit Trees

By Ken Bilheimer

Fruit Trees

Fruit trees are always a nice addition to any landscape. Not only do you get the satisfaction of going out into your own yard to harvest nature’s bounty but most fruit trees are ornamental and add an aesthetic element as well.

When selecting the right fruit tree for your yard, there are several factors to look at other than the obvious one of what fruit you’d like to eat. You should take into consideration the ultimate size of the tree and allow enough room in the landscape to accommodate it. Virtually all fruit trees (particularly citrus) require quite a bit of sun - afternoon sun is optimum. Certain varieties of fruit trees do better in our region-generally your nurseryman can advise you as to which type does best in our area.

Most fruit trees are also available as dwarfs so if you have limited space or want to grow them in a container this may be an option. Also, the majority of fruit trees are self-pollinating but some require cross pollination from another tree to fruit.

Here’s a list of the major categories of fruit trees to help you make your selection:

Citrus

One of the great things about living in Southern California is the suitability of your climate to growing citrus. Those in the Midwest or Northwest can only dream about leaning off the porch and picking a lemon or orange right off the tree.

Oranges - Washington Navel, Robertson Navel and Valencia are three of the most popular varieties of orange trees. Both varieties of navels are “peelin’ and eatin'” types and fruit from December to February. Valencias are generally used as juice oranges and bear in the summer months.

Lemons - the two main types of lemons sold are Eureka and Meyer. Eurekas are your basic lemon - the kind you buy at the supermarket. Meyer lemons have more of the bush-like growth habit and the fruit is rounder and sweeter - great for making lemonade! Both varieties bear year round.

Limes - Mexican limes have small round fruit and are often used by bartenders. Bears limes seem to grow better in our area. The fruit is larger than the Mexican lime and is seedless. Limes bear mostly winter to late spring.

Other Citrus - There are a great many other types of citrus trees available including tangerines (Dancy and Honey are good varieties), kumquats, grapefruits (white, pink and red) and tangelos - a hybrid of tangerines and grapefruits.

Stone Fruits

As their name implies, this category of fruit tree includes those with stones or pits. These trees are deciduous (meaning they drop their leaves in the fall) and many put on a spectacular display of red, pink or white blossoms in the spring.

Plums - Santa Rose is my favorite, this is the kind most often available in markets. It has a reddish/yellow flesh and is very sweet and juicy. Other good varieties include Burgundy and Satsuma. Plums bear in the summer months.

Peaches - One of the first peaches to ripen each season is the Florida Pride. It’s ready to harvest at the end of May. A good mid-season peach (ready in July) is Red Baron which has spectacular large red double flowers during its bloom period. A good late season variety is August Pride. All these varieties are freestone or semi-cling, have excellent flavor and do well in Southern California.

For those who like fruit without fuzz:

Nectarines- Panamint is great early season type. Snow Queen is a mid-season variety with exceptionally sweet fruit. Late Fold is a good late season variety.

Apricots - Gold Kist, Katy and Royal (aka Blenheim) are three varieties and have low chill requirements to set fruit. Katy has somewhat larger fruit than average. Apricots bear in June and July.

Apples - Most apple trees need quite a bit of winter chill-between 900-1200 hours of temperatures below 45 degrees to do well. However, certain varieties with lower chill requirements do well locally. Of these, Anna, Fuji, and Gordon are some of the most popular. The delicate white blossoms of apple trees make them a particularly attractive landscape addition.

Avocados - Hass is my favorite and is the variety you pay two bucks a pop for at the market. It has a pebbly skin and a rich buttery flavor. It bears from April to October. Bacon and Fuerte are two other good varieties. They both have thinner skins and a somewhat more watery texture. Bacon bears from November to March and Fuerte bears November to June. When planting avocados be sure to allow them their own space since it is often difficult to grow other plants underneath them and the take up quite a bit of room in the landscape. Smaller types of avocados are available such as ‘littlecado’ Gwen.

Other Fruit Trees

Although we’ve hit the highlights here, there are many other types of fruit trees available. There are several good varieties of figs including Black Mission, Brown Turkey, and a couple of white figs - Kadota and White Genoa.

There are a number of varieties of persimmon available. Don’t plant them next to the pool or driveway as when the fruit ripens and drops it can create quite a mess. My mother has a great recipe for persimmon cookies by the way which I’ll be glad to pass along if you email me and ask nicely.

There are a couple of kinds of fruit trees I like to plant just for children. Kids love to pick and eat the sweet and tangy red seeds of pomegranates although they can be quite messy. When my children were little I used to tell them to take off their clothes and go outside to eat them (eating them over the sink is an alternative for the more modest). Loquats are also great for kids. The fruit ripens in late winter and the main attraction for me as a child was the giant seeds (if you shoot them between your fingers just right you can shoot them twenty to thirty feet).

So next time you’re choosing a tree from your yard, consider planting a fruit tree. They’re not only beautiful, they may also help you cut your grocery bill a tad at the same time. Such a deal!

Ken Bilheimer has been a landscape designer for over twenty years and has participated in the Pasadena Showcase House of Design for twelve years.