Gardens Gems Purchased for 2013

I have never tried the column style apple trees, I think you should start a new thread and see whom out there has had any experience. I would be very interested to see the results. If you look in the Garden Watchdog section Stark is in the top 5 for 2012.

daw 4220:
DD grew them at her house near Powdermill Park. They were great.We have a perfect place for about 5 in a row. DD is in charge of planting big things.SIL just goes along.He is wonderful and does crazy art stuff for me .

Did she plant in the ground or in containers?

Hers were in the ground they were at least 7 or 8 feet tall.

Maybe the colonnades

are for planters.I like the European garden looks of any trees that grow that shape.
She had Golden Delisceous and Macks and maybe one more but I cant remember.

daw4220.i was talking to DD about the columnar trees.
She said she tried to grow mini nectarines in a large tub one year.She said they only lasted 2 seasons. She believes planter trees roots get too dry over winter and had bad luck with apples in tubs too.

She said she wouldnt plant trees anywhere but in the ground.Her trees were over 20 feet tall not 7 feet like I said earlier and straight up with fruit growing close to the trunk.

My STARKS order planted in the spring of 2010 was .......


1 Starkspur® Golden Delicious Apple Semi Dwarf
1 Prairie Spy Apple Semi Dwarf
1 Zestar!® Apple Semi-Dwarf
1 SnowSweet® Apple Semi-Dwarf
1 Cortland Apple Semi Dwarf

1 Moonglow Pear Dwarf
1 Bartlett Pear Dwarf

2 Chandler Blueberry (these are AWESOME big blueberries!!!)
3 Killarney Red Raspberry

I've not lost anything...Na Da!

That looks great Celest.
We are looking for the colunnade type due to space problems.
I am going to Plant Search to see if there are vendors other than Starke Bros.I almost dread the search because Starks has such a good reputation.
They only carry 2 varieties Emerald Spire and Red Spire.

Sounds like some great fruit trees coming along....I have a few very old apple trees, but I don't spray or prune, & am happy with the few edible ones that fall to the ground every year.....the bosc pear I have required no care, but it hasn't produced in awhile...I'm thinking it's close to 100 years old.

Robindog: I painted that tree from a photo you submitted. It was a dark silhouette against the sky with a few pears clinging to bare branches.
I think I can find it on the new computer.
Thank gawd for my thumb-drive

joann you may be better finding a larger tree at a local nursery - stark trees are about 5-6' when you get them - i had a dwarf granny smith for close to 7 years and it never had a blossom, my neighbors have 5 or 6 very close so not having a pollinator was not the issue - dug it up last year and will be replaced with a jm this spring.

the plum from starks did fruit although the squirrels got most of them - dug that up to for you know what to replace it..............

I am not sure the colunnades are available here.I might check out Wayside Gardens just to be sure.They would have anything unusual like that.

Try Avant Gardens http://www.avantgardensne.com/catalog/product.cgi/0/5006/P1/default/N/0

Bloom River ~ http://www.bloomriver.com/home/br2/search?keywords=columnar&x=0&y=0

also this page list tree's with narrow upright form for limited spaces. : )
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/treelists/narrow_upright.html



This message was edited Mar 7, 2013 9:25 AM

celeste are any of the tree's you planted providing fruit yet?

No but they aren't seven years old yet. I pluck the blossoms every spring.

it takes seven years? maybe i should have given granny another couple years :)

I was told they can bear fruit before this, even as early as 2 years old. My Grandfather who grew apple tree's always let them grow strong for 7 years before he let them produce fruit. He said the tree uses a lot of energy producing fruit so you want to have a good healthy strong tree first, also insures the branches will be able to hold a heavy yield.

This message was edited Mar 7, 2013 10:23 AM

How can I encourage my new tree to fruit sooner?

If you have a semi-vigorous or vigorous fruit tree and it is still not fruiting, there are several things you can do:

Firstly, in spring, tie any new shoots down to a horizontal position whilst they are young and whippy. The easiest way to do this is to plant a tall bamboo cane alongside the branch and gently tie the branch down to the cane. It won't look pretty but after a few months you should be able to remove the cane and the branch will stay in position.

The reason this works is that the act of tying the branch down simulates the weight of ripening fruit on the branch - and this in turn encourages the tree to set fruit buds over the summer which will produce blossom and fruit the next year. This technique works particularly well with apple trees.

Secondly, don't prune the tree. Pruning will either simply encourage the tree to put on more growth, or in some cases you may accidentally cut off the fruit buds that will form next year's crop. It is worth remembering that next year's blossom (and hence next year's fruit) is formed the preceding summer.

Don't over-feed the tree. One application of general plant food in spring is sufficient, along with watering when required. Over-feeding generally causes the tree to produce more branches and leaves, not more fruit.

Good tips, Pixie....Yes, Jo, that's my tree! And that year was the last for fruit, although I must say we had freezes the last 2 years while the blossoms were out.....I'll see what happens this year....

That treee had so much character.

It does, even without the fruit.....poor thing has been hollow since we moved here 37 years ago....

Went to the Garden Show here in Maine and I was under-whelmed!
I did pick up 5 "COBRA" lily bulbs and a couple of primrose that just jumped in the car with me on the way home. ^_^

If those teeny weenies jumped then you were meant to have them.

^_^

pretty!!

Nice primroses.....they say Spring!

I'd say you did very well, Celeste. Those are gorgeous! I plan to beef up my primrose count this year. I lost my head with the coleus offerings at Rosy Dawn Gardens last night. I bought:

Elfers
El Brighto
Eruption
Eric the red
Florida Inferno
Hedwig
Beckwiths Gem
Caracas
Sizzler
Stormy Weather
Trailing Lava Rose
Trailing Rose
Under the Sea Bonefish

......all because I lost my Fancy Rose. LOL

Ha ha ha!!!! Your as bad as me!!! Nice list though. :)

I rationalized that I have many DG friends who will NEED to have some cuttings! Tee Hee. That did it!

love that thinking!!!. beckwiths & trailing rose are both winners!!

Well, of course I have you in mind, Allison, for some rooted cuttings. LOL

woo hoo!!!

And you now have 2 northern homes to spread them around, Louise!

Exactly, Marilyn! I had each one in mind as I selected them. Want some?

Loved trailing rose!

I like Eric the Red

I have grown Elfers and Beckwiths Gem.Both are fantastic.
Elfers will be red in full sun.It looks nothing like RosyDawns web page when its not in part shade.

This is Elfers with caladiums

mine was dark like that too

Of course, Louise! Jo, lovely combo!

Mid-America order
all SDB's
Kaching
Lovesick Blues
Beatnik
Look Inside
Craisin

Very dangerous going on that Rosy Dawn website!!!