Backyard Orchard Trees 2021

Circumstances permitting, the time to plant fruit trees is now. For many climate regions of the western U.S., January is the heart of the fall-to-spring orchard planting season. The sooner plants are in the ground the more time they will have to grow strong root systems and become established before the first potentially damaging heat spikes of late spring and early summer.

If you have a yard, whether you have fifty-plus or no fruit trees, there’s almost always room to plant one (or four!) new ones — all you need is a small sunny spot. Tree size can be controlled by summer pruning as described in Backyard Orchard Culture. If you are planting home fruit trees this year for the first time, you can look forward to picking and savoring perfectly tree-ripened fruit — perfectly meaning harvested to your liking for each variety with regard to texture, acidity/sweetness and flavor as the fruit advances from early to full ripeness.

Potted planting stock was shipped to many DWN retail nurseries in November: figs, grapes, blueberries, pomegranates, caneberries, and more. Bareroot shipping season began mid-December and continues into March. Retailer variety lists** and the VarietyFinder have been updated for the new season. Available rootstocks for each of the more than 450 DWN budded fruit and nut trees have also been updated (see Rootstocks, Dwarf and Semi-Dwarf Fruit Trees for additional info).

New this year are three miniatures (naturally dwarfed trees reaching only 5-7 ft.): Snow Babe Miniature White Peach, Sol Dorado Miniature Nectarine and Arctic Sprite Miniature White Nectarine* - all are self-fruitful, freestone, and yield super-flavorful fruit. See Three New Zaiger Miniatures for 2021 - and don’t miss the linked video!1:30PM

Last year’s introductions included two especially fine later-season varieties. Flavor Punch Pluerry™ Interspecific Plum* has earned rave reviews from tasters and has a prolonged harvest season. Octoberfest Peach* reaches exceptional flavor where the growing season is long enough; it’s a strong candidate for best-tasting peach of the very late season.

Refer to Selecting Varieties and Rootstocks for tips about choosing home orchard fruit trees. See also Fruit Variety Recommendations. For information about planting, see Planting Your Backyard Orchard. The list below provides an overview of the Dave Wilson Nursery collection.

**On a list of retailers (e.g. “Southern California”, linked from the Where to Buy page), click “list” in the far right column to see a retailer’s list of DWN varieties ordered.

Highlights, DWN home orchard varieties — a one-page overview/checklist

Favorites: most popular - the top sellers of each fruit type.
Specialty: selected notable varieties not as widely known or utilized as the top sellers, but having specific desirable qualities for a particular purpose, climate region or harvest period.

*Single asterisk (*) indicates patented or patent pending.

Fruits

Apples

Favorites: Anna, Arkansas Black Spur, Braeburn, Dorsett Golden, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady®, Red Delicious Bisbee Spur, Red Fuji
Specialty: Beverly Hills, Empire, Ghost*, Jonagold, Liberty, McIntosh, Mutsu, Red Gravenstein, Pink Pearl, Sierra Beauty, Sundowner®, Yellow Newton Pippin

Apricots

Favorites: Blenheim, Chinese, Gold Kist, Harcot, Katy, Moorpark, Royal Rosa, Tilton, Tomcot, Tropic Gold
Specialty: Autumn Glo, Brittany Gold*, Earli-Autumn, Flavor Giant

Aprium® Interspecific Apricots

Favorites: Cot-N-Candy, Flavor Delight
Specialty: Leah Cot, Summer Delight*

Cherries

Sweet Cherries
Favorites: Bing, Black Tartarian, Craig’s Crimson, Lapins, Minnie Royal, Rainier, Royal Crimson* (short supply this year), Royal Lee*, Royal Rainier, Stella, Utah Giant, Van

Sour Cherries
Favorites: English Morello, Montmorency
Specialty: North Star

Grapes

European Table
Favorites: Black Monukka Sdls., Crimson Sdls., Flame Sdls., Princess Sdls., Ruby Sdls., Thompson Sdls.
Specialty: Red Globe

American & Hybrid
Favorites: Canadice Sdls., Concord (Eastern), Himrod Sdls., Interlaken Sdls., Suffolk Red Sdls.

Wine
Favorites: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel
Specialty: Pinot Noir, Syrah

Jujubes

Favorites: Lang, Li, GA 866, Honey Jar, Shanxi Li, Sugar Cane

Mulberries

Favorites: Pakistan Fruiting, Tea’s Weeping

Nectarines, White

Favorites: Arctic Jay, Arctic Rose, Arctic Star, Goldmine, Heavenly White, Snow Queen
Specialty: Arctic Blaze, Arctic Glo

Nectarines, Yellow

Favorites: Desert Delight, Double Delight, Fantasia, Flavortop, Harko, Mericrest, Panamint
Specialty: Independence, Liz’s Late

Nectarines, Miniature

Favorites: Arctic Babe, Garden Delight, Necta Zee, Nectar Babe

NectaPlum™

Favorite: Spice Zee*!

Peaches, White

Favorites: Arctic Supreme, Babcock, Donut (Stark Saturn), Indian Blood Cling, Indian Free, Sauzee Swirl*, Snow Beauty, Tropic Snow, White Lady
Specialty: Polly, Q-1-8, Strawberry Free

Peaches, Yellow

Favorites: August Pride, Contender, Desert Gold, Elberta, Eva’s Pride, Fay Elberta, Flordaprince, Frost, Gleason Early Elberta, July Elberta, May Pride, Mid-Pride, O’Henry, Red Baron, Redhaven, Reliance, Santa Barbara, Suncrest
Specialty: Gold Dust, Halehaven, Kaweah, Rio Oso Gem, Veteran, August Pride

Peaches, Miniature

Favorites: Bonanza, Garden Gold, Honey Babe, Pix Zee

Pears

Favorites: Bartlett, Bosc, Comice, D’Anjou, Hood, Kieffer, Seckel, Sensation Red Bartlett, Warren
Specialty: Harrow Delight, Southern Bartlett

Pears, Asian

Favorites: 20th Century, Hosui, Shinko, Shinseiki

Persimmons

Favorites: Fuyu (Jiro), Giant Fuyu, Hachiya Specialty: Chocolate, Coffeecake, Izu

Pluerry™ Interspecific Plums

Favorites: Candy Heart, Flavor Punch, Sugar Twist, Sweet Treat

Plums

Favorites: Beauty, Burgundy, Elephant Heart, Emerald Beaut, Golden Nectar, Late Santa Rosa, Methley, Santa Rosa, Satsuma, Weeping Santa Rosa
Specialty: Catalina, Mariposa, Shiro, Superior

Plums/Prunes, European

Favorites: French, Green Gage (Bavay’s), Italian, Stanley
Specialty: Early Italian-Richards, Sugar

Pluot® Interspecific Plums

Favorites: Dapple Dandy, Flavor King, Flavor Queen, Flavor Supreme, Flavor Grenade

Pomegranate

Favorite: Wonderful

Nuts

Almonds

Favorites: All-in-One, Garden Prince

Chestnuts

Favorites: Colossal, Nevada

Pecans

Favorites: Mahan, Mohawk, Western Schley

Walnuts

Favorites: Chandler, Pedro, Placentia

Potted Planting Stock

Blackberries & Hybrids

Favorites: Babycakes®*, Boysenberry Thornless, Black Satin Thornless, Triple Crown, Olallie, Marion
Specialty: Chester, Prime-Ark Freedom®, Snowbank, Kiowa

Blueberries

Favorites: Emerald, Jewel, Jubilee, Misty, O’Neal, Pink Lemonade, Sharpblue, Southmoon, Sunshine Blue
Compact Favorites: Jelly Bean®*, Peach Sorbet®* and Pink Icing®*
Specialty: Bluecrop, Blueray, Reveille

Figs

Favorites: Black Jack, Black Mission, Brown Turkey (Impr.), Kadota, Panache, Peter’s Honey, Violette de Bordeaux
Specialty: Celestial, Chicago Hardy, Desert King, Excel, Flanders, Janice Seed-less, Osborne Prolific, White Genoa

Goji Berry Gooseberries Hops

Goji Berry
Gooseberries: Black Velvet, Hinnonmaki Red, Pixwell
Hops: Cascade, Centennial

Grapes

European, Table
Favorites: Black Monukka Sdls., Crimson Sdls., Flame Sdls., Princess Sdls., Ruby Sdls., Thompson Sdls.
Specialty: Golden Muscat, Lady Finger, Red Globe

American & Hybrid
Favorites: Canadice Sdls., Concord (Eastern), Himrod Sdls., Interlaken Sdls., Suffolk Red Sdls.

Wine
Favorites: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel
Specialty: Pinot Noir, Syrah

Kiwifruit

Favorites: Hardy Male, Issai Self-fruitful, Vincent Female

Mulberry

Favorite: Dwarf Everbearing

Olives

Favorites: Arbequina AS1®, Manzanillo, Mission
Specialty: Arbosana L43®, Koroneiki I-38

Pomegranates

Favorites: Eversweet, Parfianka, Sweet, Wonderful
Specialty: Ambrosia, Grenada, Pink Satin, Red Silk, Wonderful (tree form)

Raspberries

Favorites: Heritage, Fall Gold Everbearing, Baba, Canby Thornless, Raspberry Shortcake®*, Willamette
Specialty: Caroline, Jewel, Nova Red, Anne