Community and Resources for Home Gardens
RETAIL NURSERY VARIETY LIST
Downtown Walnut Creek Hardware
2044 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
925.705.7500
Plant varieties ordered from Dave Wilson Nursery for 2021:
Fuji Apple
Introduction from Japan that quickly became California's favorite apple. Sweet, very crisp and flavorful, excellent keeper. Dull reddish orange skin, sometimes russeted. Ripe mid-September. Excellent pollenizer for other apple varieties. Low chilling requirement - less than 500 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 6-9.
Golden Delicious Apple
Long-time favorite for its sweetness and flavor. Reliable producer, adapted to many climates. Pollenizer for Red Delicious. Midseason harvest (September in Central CA). 700 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 5-10.
Granny Smith Apple
From New Zealand. Large, late, green, all-purpose. Crisp, tart, excellent keeper. Requires long summer. Thrives in hot climates. 400 hours. Prolonged bloom: good pollenizer for other apples. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 6-9.
Pink Lady® Apple
Hot climate apple from Western Australia. Very crisp, sweet tart, distinct flavor, good keeper. Skin reddish pink over green when ripe. White flesh resists browning. Harvest begins late October in Central CA, about three weeks after Fuji. Self-fruitful. 300-400 hours. USDA Zones 6-9.
Red Gravenstein Apple
Famous for sauce and baking, also used fresh. Crisp, juicy, flavorful & tart. Green with red stripes. Early bloom, early harvest. 700 hours. Pollenizer required: Empire, Fuji, Gala, Red Delicious. Not a pollenizer for other varieties. USDA Zones 2-9.
Brittany Gold Apricot
This sweet apricot is a very consistent producer in the Dave Wilson test orchard, and has proven to perform in tough climates where no other apricots do. This large, firm fruit has an extremely long
season for an apricot, hanging for two weeks or more at the end of July. Self-fruitful. Estimated chilling requirement 500-700 hours. U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13504 (Zaiger)
Goldcot Apricot
Productive even in cold, humid climates. Medium-sized fruit with golden yellow skin and yellow-orange freestone flesh. Juicy, with tangy flavor, used fresh and for freezing and canning. Originated in Michigan, introduced in 1967. 800 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 4-8.
Shinseiki Asian Pear
Juicy, sweet, refreshing, crisp like an apple. Easy to grow. Keeps well. Harvest late July/early August in Central CA. Bright yellow skin. Vigorous, heavy bearing (usually by 2nd year). 250-300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Craig's Crimson Cherry
Taste test winner. Self-fruitful, natural semi-dwarf sweet cherry. Dark red to nearly black, medium to large size, wonderful spicy flavor, very firm texture. Mature tree size about 2/3 of standard (smaller when budded onto Colt or Mahaleb rootstock). Harvest begins early. 500-600 hours. USDA Zones 5-9. (Zaiger)
Sweetheart™ Cherry
Van x Newstar. Large, bright red fruit with good flavor. Precocious tree requires pruning to prevent size problems. Self-fertile. Matures 5-7 days after Lapins. Developed in Summerland, British Columbia.
Black Mission Fig
The industry standard. Purplish-black skin, strawberry-colored flesh, rich flavor. Heavy bearing, long-lived, large tree. Coast or inland. Two crops per year. Fresh/dry/can. 100 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 7-9.
Violette de Bordeaux Fig
Small to medium size purple-black fruit with a very deep red strawberry pulp and distinctive, sweet, rich flavor. Brebas are pear-shaped with a thick, tapering neck, main crop figs are variable, often without neck. Medium eye. Excellent fresh or dried. Good for container culture or small spaces. Hardy. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 5-10.
Spice Zee NectaPlum™ Interspecific Nectarine
The first NectaPlum™ from Zaiger Genetics: a white-fleshed, nectarine-peach-plum hybrid. Skin is dark maroon at fruit set, and turns pale pink when ripe. Fully ripe fruit is unparalleled in flavor, and both nectarine and plum traits are easily detectable. Tree is quite ornamental. Tremendous purplish pink bloom in the spring, followed by a flourish of red leaves which mature into lush green in late summer. Self-fruitful. Very productive. 200-300 hours. High chill adaptable. (Pat. No. 13503) (Zaiger)
Arctic Jay White Nectarine
Taste test winner. Very attractive, firm, freestone fruit is richly flavored, with a balance of acid and sugar. Ripens between Arctic Glo and Heavenly White white nectarines. 500 hours or less. Self-fruitful. (Pat. No. 9908) (Zaiger)
Desert Dawn Nectarine
Proven heavy producer of delicious nectarines for warm winter western climates. Solid red skin, juicy yellow semi-freestone, rich flavor. Mid to late May. 250 hours. Self-fruitful. (Zaiger)
Harko Nectarine
One of the highest scoring nectarines in DWN fruit tastings. Cold hardy Canadian variety has showy, large, single pink blossoms. Ripens with Redhaven Peach in early July in Central CA. Tolerant of bacterial spot and brown rot. 800 hours. Self-fruitful.
Babcock White Peach
Long-time favorite white-fleshed freestone. Sweet and juicy, aromatic, low in acid. High scoring in taste tests. Ripens mid-July in Central CA. Widely adapted (low chill requirement, yet not early blooming). 250-300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Gleason Early (Lemon) Elberta Peach
Also called Improved Elberta or Lemon Elberta. Reliable, frost hardy yellow freestone for Utah and Pacific NW. Juicy, rich flavor. Harvest 10 days before Elberta. Can/freeze/fresh. 800 hours. Self fruitful.
La Feliciana Peach
Heavy-bearing, high quality peach from Louisiana. Firm, flavorful, yellow freestone, matures in mid-July. Resists brown rot and bacteriosis. 400-500 hours. Self-fruitful.
O'Henry Peach
Popular fresh market yellow freestone and an excellent choice for home planting. Large, firm, full red skin, superb flavor. Ripens early to mid-August in Central CA. Good for freezing. Strong, vigorous, heavy bearing tree. 750 hours. Self-fruitful.
Strawberry Free White Peach
Long-time favorite white freestone peach for CA. Very sweet, aromatic, juicy, with superb, delicate flavor. Early to mid-July in Central CA. Highly recommended for home orchards. 400-500 hours. Self-fruitful
California Pear
Max Red Bartlett x Comice. Home orchard variety for hot inland valley climates: Redding, Fresno, Bakersfield. Yellowish green with red blush. Excellent quality, very productive. August harvest. 500-600 hours. Self-fruitful.
Comice Pear
The famous gift pack pear. Sweet, aromatic, fine texture, superb flavor and quality - one of the best. Short neck, greenish-yellow skin with red blush. Late harvest. 600 hours. Self-fruitful in most climates of Western U.S. or plant with Bartlett.
Nubiana Plum
Purplish-black skin, amber flesh. Large, firm, flattened shape. Sweet, flavorful, very little tartness at skin or pit. Favorite fresh market fruit, excellent for home orchard. Late July. 400-500 hours. Self-fruitful
Satsuma Plum
Long-time favorite plum in California. Mottled maroon over green skin, dark red meaty flesh. Sweet, mild, not tart. Excellent for jam. Harvest late July. 300 hours. Pollenized by Santa Rosa or Beauty.
Parfianka Pomegranate
Large size red fruit is sweet with a hint of acidity. Arils are red with very small edible seeds. Vigorous upright plant sets a heavy crop dependably. Maintain at any height with summer pruning. Consistently receives the highest praise for overall flavor. Great for juice or fresh eating. A Dr. Gregory Levin introduction through U.C. Davis. Very highly rated in U.C.Davis taste tests. Some rate Parfianka as the best tasting pomegranate. Required chill hours 100-200. Self-fruitful, best in zones 7-10.
Wonderful Pomegranate
Large, purple-red fruit with delicious, tangy flavor. Best quality in hot inland climate. Gaudy red orange bloom, ornamental foliage. Long-lived, any soil. 150 hours. Self-fruitful.
Goji Berry
Lycium barbarum - (aka Wolfberry) is highly acclaimed for its high nutrient and antioxidant value. Recently termed a superfood. Ripe berries can be used fresh, dried, frozen and in teas. Goji has an appealing spicy, nutty flavor. Berries are bright red-orange when ripe. Harvest summer through fall. Shrubby plant to 8-12 ft. or prune to desired manageable size. Hardy to sub-zero and very drought tolerant once established. Requires neutral to slightly alkaline soil. Well adapted to container growing. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 4 - 11.
All-in-One Genetic Semi-Dwarf Almond
No. 1 almond for home orchards. Heavy crops of soft shell nuts with sweet, flavorful kernels. Hot summer required to ripen. 15 ft. tree, very winter and frost hardy. 300-400 hrs. Self-fruitful. (Zaiger)