Community and Resources for Home Gardens
RETAIL NURSERY VARIETY LIST
Growing Grounds Farm & Nursery
956 Chorro Street
San Luis Obispo, California 93401
805.544.4967
Plant varieties ordered from Dave Wilson Nursery for 2021:
Anna Apple
Remarkable fruit for mild winter climates in So. Calif., So. Ariz. Heavy crops of sweet, crisp, flavorful apples even in low desert. Fresh/cooked. Keeps 2 months in refrigerator. 200 hours. Self-fruitful or pollenized by Dorsett Golden or Einshemer. USDA Zones 5-10.
Einshemer Apple
Heavy-bearing, very low chilling requirement. Sweet yellow apples in early summer (late June in Central CA). Excellent pollenizer for Anna. 100 hours. Self-fruitful.
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.
Gala Apple
Wonderful dessert apple from New Zealand. Crisp, nice blend of sweetness and tartness, rich flavor. Skin reddish orange over yellow. Early harvest, 2 - 3 weeks before Red Delicious. Good pollenizer for other varieties. Adapted to cold- and warm-winter climates. Chilling requirement less than 500 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 4-10.
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.
Blenheim (Royal) Apricot
All-purpose freestone. Sweet, aromatic, flavorful - the long-time No. 1 apricot in California. Early bloom. Late June harvest in Central CA. 400 hours or less. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 7-8.
Gold Kist Apricot
Excellent backyard apricot for warm winter climates. Freestone, very good quality. Heavy bearing. Early harvest, 3-4 weeks before Blenheim (Royal). 300 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 7-9. (Zaiger)
Harcot Apricot
From Canada. Frost hardy late bloom. Resists brown rot and perennial canker. Medium to large fruit ripens early to mid-June in Central CA. Sweet, juicy, rich flavor one of the best. 700 hours. Self-fruitful.
Katy Apricot
Large, all-purpose, flavorful freestone. Tree ripe fruit is subacid (not tart). A favorite apricot for warm-winter climates. Early harvest, 3-4 weeks before Blenheim (Royal). 200 to 300 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 7-9. (Zaiger)
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.
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.
Ischia Green Fig
A.k.a. "Verte". Small to medium greenish-yellow fruit with a fairly tight eye. Pulp is strawberry red, with fine flavor and excellent quality. Compact growth habit, a natural semi-dwarf. Both breba and summer crop are heavy. Birds do not find its green color attractive. Required chill 100 hours or less. Self-fruitful. Best in zones 7-10
Panache Fig
Especially fine flavor! Small to medium-sized fruit with green color and yellow Tiger stripes. Strawberry pulp is blood-red in color. 100 hours. Self-fruitful.
Peter's Honey Fig
Beautiful, shiny fruit, greenish-yellow when ripe. Very sweet, dark, amber flesh. High quality. Superb for fresh eating. Warm location with a southern exposure is required for ripening fruit in maritime Northwest. Originated in Sicily. Good cold tolerance. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 6-10.
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.
Arctic Star White Nectarine
Earliest to ripen of the low acid, super-sweet white nectarines. Rave reviews in trial tastings. Beautiful dark red skin, snow white semi-freestone flesh. Ripens mid-June in Central CA, 4-5 weeks ahead of Arctic Rose. Low winter chilling requirement, about 300 hours. Self-fruitful. (Pat. No. 9332) (Zaiger)
Manzanillo Olive
Manzanillo is the classic table olive. It's a large variety that can be eaten both green and ripe black. This variety becomes fruitier and less bitter as it ripens. Moderately cold hardy. Self-fruitful but produces higher yields with a pollenizer.
Donut (Stark Saturn) White Peach
Unique white-fleshed fruit with a sunken center (shaped like a doughnut). Sweet, with a mild flavor described by some as almond-like. Ripens late June/early July in Central CA. Estimated chilling requirement 200-300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Santa Barbara Peach
Bud sport of Ventura peach. Large, red-blushed yellow freestone, red near pit. Performs well in Central and Southern California's mild-winter coastal climates. Midseason harvest. Estimated chilling requirement 300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Fuyu (Jiro) Persimmon
Medium size, flat shape, still crunchy when ripe, non-astringent. Cool or hot climate. Hardy, attractive tree, practically pest free. Fall harvest. 200 hours. Self-fruitful.
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.
Stanley Prune
Large, dark blue skin. Juicy, sweet, delicious, greenish-yellow meaty flesh, freestone. Late summer harvest. Late blooming, extremely cold hardy and reliable. 800 hours. Self-fruitful.
Emerald Southern Highbush Blueberry
Produces abundant clusters of large to very large berries with tasty, balanced sweet flavor. Very productive and highly rated. Zones 7-10. Self-fruitful. Estimated at 250 hours chill or less. (U.S. Plant Patent #12165)
Jewel Southern Highbush Blueberry
One of California's leading commercial varieties due to its high adaptability. Exceptional growth and high yields. Midseason harvest of large to very large berries with tangy sweet flavor. Chill requirement estimated at 200 hours. Self-fruitful, zones 7-10. (U.S Plant Patent #11807)
Heritage Raspberry
Everbearing - Large, sweet, dark red berries. Mild flavor and excellent quality. Good for all uses. Moderate early crop in June, July. Heavier late crop August through fall. Berries keep well on or off the vine. Upright growth habit. Self-fruitful. Best in Zones 4-11.
Olallieberry
A cross between Youngberry and Loganberry, classified as a blackberry. Large, elongated fruit with unique sweet-tart flavor: a long-time California fruit stand favorite for fresh-eating, pies and jams. Vine-like (trailing) structure, requires support. Lower chilling requirement than Boysen. Takes up to two years to bear. Zones 7-9, possibly 6-10.
Triple Crown Blackberry
Semi-trailing, thornless. Medium to large flavorful berries. Dense foliage prevents sunscald. Vigorous vines to 15’ require support. Very productive, reliable harvests. Widely adapted, excellent home garden variety. USDA Zones 5-12.
Forest Pansy Redbud
Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'
Striking scarlet-colored new foliage turning maroon then green as the leaves mature. Highly valued as a landscape accent. Swelling buds break pinkish-red along the bare branches, similar to Eastern redbud. Moderate grower to 20 ft. with a spreading habit. Sunset Zones 1-3, 7-20.
Western Redbud
Cercis occidentalis
Single or multi-trunked tree to 15 by 15 ft. Spectacular, bright purplish-pink sweet-pea-shaped flowers. Yellow to red fall color. Drought tolerant, resistant to oak root fungus. Sunset Zones 2-24.
California Native Sycamore
Platanus racemosa
Large tree to 80-100 ft. Large, light green leaves, lobed like maple. Mottled, multi-colored trunks due to bark shedding in patches. Tolerates heat, wind, likes deep watering in summer. Sunset Zones 4-24. USDA zones 5-10.