The Bee Better Teaching Garden experiments with several types of fruit trees and shrubs. Our criteria first and foremost, are the fruit’s performance without spraying. We also consider plants for an average residential property, so we look for varieties that are self-pollinating and also dwarf varieties.. Below is a list of the fruits we have in the teaching garden.
UPDATED: 12/3/23
Honey Crisp apple—Malus domestica ‘Honey Crisp’—Moved from south-side whiskey barrel to newly revised front Red Bed. Still no fruit.
North Sentinel apple—Malus pumila ‘North Sentinel’—Moved from the Mixed Border to the Rock Garden. Excellent tasting fruit. We had three this year.
Transcendent crabapple —Malus domestica ‘Transcendent’—Pruned hard last summer so I can reach the fruit. I should have done this years ago, and all along. Still got some nice fruit.
Banana—Musa basjoo
Banana—Musa basjoo
Blueberries—Vaccinium ashei ‘Premier’ ‘Climax’, & ‘Powder Blue’
Cherry—Prunus avium ‘Stella’. Still hasn’t produced fruit.
Chokeberry—Aronia melanocarpa
Chokecherry—Prunus virginiana
Cornelian cherry—Cornus Mas
Dogwood—Cornus kousa
Fig — Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’
Fig—Ficus carica ‘LSU Purple’—First year for fruit. Delicious!
Fig—Ficus carica 'Celeste’
Fig—‘Ficus carica ‘Marseilles’
Goji Berry—Lyceum barbarum
Goumi Berry—Elaeagnus multiflora
Grapes: Concord, and Muscadines—Vitis rotundifolia
Kiwi, Hardy—Actinidia arguta—still has not fruited
Kumquat—Fortunella japonica—Tons of fruit for the first time this year!
Updated 12/3/23—Dwarf Mulberry, Morus nigra
Passion Vine—Passiflora incarnata
Paw-paw—Asimina triloba—A very good year.
Paw-paw—Asimina triloba ‘Sunflower’, sowed seeds from Johnny
Pear, Kieffer—Pyrus communis x P. pyrifolia
Pear, Asian—Pyrus pyrifolia
Persimmon, Japanese —Diospyros kaki ‘Fuyu’
Persimmon, Japanese —Diospyros kaki ‘Fuyu’
Added 12/3/23 Persimon, American—Diospyros virginiana
Plum Prunus ‘ Corinthian’ from Denny Werner. Small but very tasty.
Quince—Cydonia oblonga ‘Pineapple’
Raspberries—Ever-bearing, Rubus idaeus—probably Southland
Serviceberry—Amelanchier × grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’
Strawberries—Fragaria × ananassa