Gardening

Fruits

Fruit trees and shrubs are a great way to add an ornamental yet functional touch to your landscaping. Adding fruit trees to your property provides three seasons of beauty, as well as shade, and great tasting fruit to enjoy for many years to come. Fruit trees also filter the air, condition soil and attract pollinators to your garden.

Some things to consider if you are planning to include fruit trees and shrubs in your landscape:

• Plant two or more varieties of the same tree this is the best way to ensure pollination. You will want to make sure you have room to accommodate more than one tree.
• Include your favorite varieties. Fruit trees in particular live longer so you will want to be sure to choose trees you like.
• Be patient. Fruit trees and shrubs can take up to two years before they start producing fruit. You’ll find it was worth the wait as home grown produce often tastes better than what you get at your local grocer.

Talk to one of our landscape professionals and discover the many ways fruit trees and shrubs can change your landscape and your quality of life.

Featured fruit:

Pear Trees

Pear trees are grown both for decoration and for their delicious fruit. Pear trees require a soil with good water drainage, but can tolerate heavier soils such as clay and heavy loam soils. Pears require planting in an area that has good sunlight. When planting, the hole should be two to three times larger than the root ball spread. Peat moss and compost additions to the soil improve drainage around the roots and help the pear through the early establishment period. Pears are best harvested while the fruit is still green as the fruit will continue to ripen after it is picked. Pears left on the tree until the skin turns yellow will begin to break down. Pears that are light green (not grass green) are ready for harvest. Pears require ripening at room temperature for a period of one to two weeks.