***All varieties are recommended for Western Washington and are listed in approximate order of ripening.***
ESPALIER AND SLENDER SPINDLE PICTURES
APPLES
PEARS
ASIAN PEARS
PLUMS
CHERRIES
- Information on Cherry Varieties
- Cherry Pollination Chart
- Cherry Pictures (none available)
APPLES
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Liberty Apple
AKANE – From Japan. Resembles JONATHAN but lighter red. Uniform medium size, smooth, attractive. It ripens soon after GRAVENSTEIN in late August – early September.
MOLLIE’S DELICIOUS – One of the sweetest late summer apples. Crisp, light yellow with orange blush. Large fruits. Ripens late August. Somewhat susceptible to scab.
ALKMENE – A Cox’s Orange Pippin cross. Medium-large yellow, slightly striped fruit with a delightful sharp tang. Somewhat scab resistant.
SANSA – A cross of Gala x Akane which ripens before Gala. It has a brilliant red-orange over a golden ground color. High quality dessert apple. It is similar in fruit color and firmness to Gala with some resistance to scab. Good keeping quality for an early apple.
BURGUNDY – The very intense skin color is almost blackish-red and is a solid blush, without stripes. Fruits are large, round, crisp, subacid and very good eating quality. Storage life is short, no more than a month. Ripens mid-September. Susceptible to scab.
HONEYCRISP – One of the best known newer apples and it grows very well in western Washington. Crisp and sweet as its name suggests. Excellent eating, cooking, and keeping qualities. One parent is Keepsake. Some resistance to scab. Grows better with plenty of calcium. Starts ripening in mid September and will hang on the tree for about 3 to 4 weeks.
JONAMAC – Medium-sized MACINTOSH type dessert red apple with 90 percent dark blush. The eating quality is very good and is superior to MACINTOSH. JONATHAN X MACINTOSH. Ripens late September.
BRAMLEY’S SEEDLING – Traditional cooking apple of the British Isles. Large flat greenish yellow fruit with broad, broken brown and red stripes. Firm skin. Firm, juicy, sharply acid flesh. Cooks to perfection with rich juice and no hard pieces. Extremely high vitamin C content. Resistant to scab and mildew. Ripens late September.
HAWAII – Golden Delicious x Gravenstein. Gourmet dessert apple with somewhat of a flavor and aroma like pineapple. Large, yellow fruit with light pinkish orange stripping at times. For those who want a Golden Delicious type it ripens better here than the Golden Delicious. Susceptible to scab just like Golden Delicious and Gravenstein.
SWEET SIXTEEN – Good size, up to three inches, conic shape. Cream colored flesh, unique pleasing flavor, high sugar, moderate acid, aromatic, trace of nutty flavor. Flesh is crisp and firm, good storage, handling, cooking, fully colored and somewhat scab resistant. Superb cider apple. Ripens early to mid-October.
KARMIJN DE SONNEVILLE – Fruit is dull red over a yellow-green ground color. COX ORANGE X JONATHAN. Flavorful. Reported to be a good keeper. Triploid; ripens in early October.
HOLSTEIN – Open pollinated seedling of COX’S ORANGE from back in 1918. Larger, deep yellow fruit with varying reddish orange blush; sometimes lightly russeted. The first bite tastes quite tart and then it mellows in your mouth with a full vibrant flavor. Quite resistant to scab. Triploid.
KEEPSAKE – Medium sized, 90% red fruit. Fine grained, hard, very crisp, juicy, light yellow flesh. Strongly aromatic flavor. Very hard when picked. Mellows in storage. Ripens in mid to late October. Somewhat resistant to scab. Great keeper.
SPARTAN – A very attractive MACINTOSH type apple maturing about two weeks after MACINTOSH. It has firmer flesh and is of excellent dessert quality. Bears at a young age and heavily. Ripens mid-October.
HUDSON’S GOLDEN GEM – Large, high quality russet. Conical, elongated fruit. Smooth, uniformly dull yellow russet skin; very long stem. Sugary, juicy, crisp flesh. Flavor is somewhat nutty. Excellent dessert apple. Keeps in storage for three months. Resistant to scab. Ripens mid–October.
RED BOSKOOP – Great culinary apple-pies and sauces. Remains tart even after storage. Very large fruit and vigorous tree. Triploid. Late October.
JONAGOLD – Large, round, firm, light scarlet stripe over a yellow ground color. Ripens in late October. JONATHAN X GOLDEN DELICIOUS. Has inherited best of both parents. It ranks as one of the best dessert quality apples, yet tests have shown that it also has very good processing qualities. Truly dual purpose.
RED JONAGOLD – Red sport of JONAGOLD. Otherwise just like the regular JONAGOLD. Fully blushed red. Ripens late October..
GROVE – Bright red, very hard, crisp, and juicy. Beautiful on tree. Looks much like RED DELICIOUS. Good keeper. Ripens in late October. From Mountain Grove, MO, Fruit Experiment Station.
MELROSE – A winter apple which has outstanding keeping characteristics. Has kept in an unheated garage in good condition to May 1. The fruits resemble the parent, JONATHAN, except are later ripening, larger, less well-colored and somewhat flatter in shape. Flavor is less tart than JONATHAN. High quality dessert and processing variety.
OTHER VARIETIES OF MERIT (In approximate order of ripening)
LODI – Replacing YELLOW TRANSPARENT. Fruit ripens a few days later but is larger. Will bear every year through proper use of thinning. Ripens mid-July.
GRAVENSTEIN – Fall apple. Orange-yellow skin, striped red. Fruit is crisp and juicy. Favorite cooking apple. Hardy. Needs pollenizer. Ripens late August – early September.
RED GRAVENSTEIN – Much like regular GRAVENSTEIN except fruit is deep red in color. Better keeper.
STARR GRAVENSTEIN – A strain of RED GRAVENSTEIN obtained from Summerland BC. Ripens at the same time as regular GRAVENSTEIN. More firm and keeps better than regular GRAVENSTEIN. Ripens late August, early September.
KIDD’S ORANGE RED – Medium to large apples ripen in mid-September. Sweet and tasty. A favorite dessert apple. A parent of Gala.
STRAWBERRY – Old time favorite red apple. Sweet, crisp, and juicy. Ripens mid to end of September. In our opinion, this variety makes some of the best applesauce and pie. Scab resistant.
KING – Crisp, sweet, late apple. Fruit is large, yellow-green with red stripes. Good for Western Washington.
PROMISING NEW VARIETIES FOR TRIAL
Trees in this section have either not been fully tested at our nursery or there are not enough trees available to list in the regular sections. The following varieties wee available for trial.
ARLET, ASHMEAD’S KERNEL, BENI SHOGUN, CHERRY COX, ELSTAR, ESOPUS SPITZENBURG, FREYBERG, FUJI YATAKA, GOLDEN DELICIOUS, GOLDEN RUSSET, GREENSLEEVES, OPALESCENT, PINK PEARL, PRISCILLA, ROXBURY RUSSET, SPIGOLD, WOLF RIVER and others.
A few apple varieties are partially self-fertile but will produce much better if there is another variety that blooms at the same time. GRAVENSTEIN, HOLSTEIN, JONAGOLD, KARMIJN DE SONNEVILLE, and RED BOSKOOP are pollen sterile and therefore cannot be used as pollinators. We have blooming charts and other helpful information here at the nursery to make sure you have trees for adequate pollination.
Apples Pollination Chart
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Apple Pictures – links to collection of pictures previously available on Hartman’s Nursery website.
PEARS
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El Dorado Pear
HARROW DELIGHT – Medium sized, slightly smaller than Bartlett. Flesh is high quality and very smooth with no grit cells. Very productive tree even at a young age. Ripens in mid-August.
AURORA – High quality attractive dessert pear which ripens just before BARTLETT. The fruit is large and has a regular pear shape. It is bright yellow lightly overlaid with russet, and frequently is slightly blushed. The flesh is smooth, melting, and juicy, and the flavor sweet and aromatic. The fruit will keep well in cold storage until December. The tree is vigorous and upright.
RESCUE – Large to very large, elongated, pyriform fruit, yellow skin, partially covered by orange and red stripes and blush. Creamy, smooth, buttery flesh, mild, sweet flavor. Ripens just after Aurora.
KALLE – Mutation of Clapp’s Favorite with solid, dark red blush, very attractive. Mild pleasant flavor; tree vigorous and productive. Ripens in late August.
BARTLETT – Favorite pear for canning and fresh fruit. The fruit normally is of large size, has a smooth and attractive appearance. Tender, juicy, buttery and of high dessert quality. Excellent for home use on dwarf rootstock. Ripens late August to early September.
BEIERSCHMITT – Was discovered as a seedling of Bartlett in Iowa. Medium large, yellow fruit; dries well. Excellent flavor with mild, tender, very sweet, grit-free flesh. Tender, easily bruised skin. The flesh does not turn brown when cut, making a fine salad pear. Ripens about the same time as Bartlett.. Spreading, moderately buy champix in usa vigorous tree is a dependable, heavy producer.
SIRRINE – Green and yellow fruit with Bartlett shape. Juicy, melting flesh with sweet, rich flavor. Tree is a regular, heavy bearer. It is a Bartlett seedling that is slightly smaller than Bartlett but sweeter. This is our favorite pear for drying. Candy sweet dried. Ripens in early to mid September.
ORCAS – Yellow fruit with carmine blush. Large, flavorful pear that is well suited for home orchards and processing. Good for fresh eating, canning, or drying. Both tree and fruit show some resistance to pear scab. Preferred over Bartlett Ripens in early September.
DELICIOUS – One of the best pears for the home fruit grower. Disease resistant. Pears have golden skin and white flesh. Ripens early to mid September. Excellent dried.
GORHAM – A BARTLETT type pear, picked ten to fourteen days later. Keeps well in cold storage.
SIERRA – BARTLETT X MARILLAT. Large green fruit with flavor and texture similar to BARTLETT but generally of finer quality. Does not scab easily. Originated in Summerland B. C. Ripens in late September.
ATLANTIC QUEEN – Immense, yellow-green fruit up to 1.5 lbs. Fine, firm, melting, very juicy, sweet flesh. Distinctive, delicious aroma. Prolific bearer. Skin turns a characteristic yellow when ready to be eaten. Old French pear discovered in a New York garden close to the seashore. Ripens late September. Very vigorous. If you can use a large tree and want large fruit this is one you might like to try.
HIGHLAND – A very high quality dessert pear which is normally picked four weeks after BARTLETT. It develops better quality if stored about a month before ripening, and will keep in refrigerated storage until January. The fruit is large, fairly smooth, pyriform in shape, and yellow covered with light russet. The flesh is melting, juicy, nearly smooth in texture. The flavor is sweet and rich. The tree is moderately vigorous and productive. Season; early October.
CONFERENCE – Medium large, slightly long fruit. Smooth green skin tinted with russet. Excellent keeper, high quality dessert pear, firm and sweet. One of the easiest to store and ripen of the winter pears. Cold storage is not needed to ripen. Pick early to mid October.
COMICE – Very firm large French butter-type winter pear. Needs a month of storage for ripening; stores well until Christmas. Does well in Western Washington. Season: Early to mid October.
EL DORADO – Medium to large fruit, lumpy surface; yellow-green even when ripe. Very long storage life, keeps until January-February. Quality very good to excellent, sweet, smooth, melting. Also good canning. Needs refrigeration before ripening. Pick about mid-October.
BOSC – Medium to large, dark yellow fruit with brownish russet skin and long, gourd-shaped neck. Tender, aromatic, juicy, smooth textured, white flesh. Rich, slightly acid flavor. Fine for eating, baking, and drying. Needs refrigeration for best ripening. Harvest mid to late October.
The following varieties were available for trial: ANJOU, BP MORETTINI, BEURRE GIFFORD, DUMONT, JUMBO, ROGUE RED and others.
All pears need cross-pollination. Two varieties are needed to obtain an adequate fruit set. BARTLETT and SECKEL will not pollinate each other. See the pear pollination chart to see what varieties will pollinate each other. To obtain the best quality of fruit, most pears should be picked about ten days before they ripen. The winter pears such as HIGHLAND, COMICE, EL DORADO, ANJOU, & BOSC require cold storage before ripening. Available on dwarf and semi-dwarf stock.
Pear Pollination Chart
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Pear Pictures – links to collection of pictures previously available on Hartman’s Nursery website.
ASIAN PEARS
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Shinko Asian Pears
ICHIBAN NASHI – Medium size, lightly golden russet skin, light yellow flesh is tender, crisp, juicy and sweet. Moderately vigorous, productive, spur bearing tree. One of the earliest to ripen-about mid August in western Washington.
KOSUI – A medium sized (9-14 oz), early maturing, light green to yellow-bronze fruit with a slight russet. Flesh is tender crisp, juicy, sweet with no acid. Tree is vigorous, upright, a strong grower, and moderately productive. Fruit quality is good to very good. Stores about 2 months. Ripens late August.
SHINSEIKI – Popular early season variety. Fruit is yellow-green to pale yellow, smooth with small lenticels, size is large. Flesh is white, sweet, firm, crisp and juicy. Tree is moderately vigorous, dense, very productive and precocious. Fruit quality is good to very good. Excellent storage life, about 7-8 months. Fruit ripens in late August, early September. Also known as New Century.
MISHIRASU – Huge early ripening pear. Rough brown russet skin, some weighing a pound or more. Unattractive appearance, but good flavor. The crisp, crunchy flesh makes it a good choice for salads as well as fresh eating. One of the largest early ripening Asian pears. It ripens in mid September.
CHOJURO – Medium to large, flattened, brown russet greenish fruit with thick skin. White flesh is crisp like an apple when ripe; mild, slightly aromatic flavor. Keeps in cool storage until February. Medium size, spreading, vigorous, early bearing tree; reliable annual bearing tree with somewhat drooping habit. Somewhat prone to overbearing; needs some thinning. It ripens in mid September.
NIJISSEIKI – Best known Asian pear. Fruit is green to greenish yellow, smooth with some lenticels. Fruit size is medium (9-14 oz.). Flesh is white, firm, crisp, very juicy and sweet with a refreshing tartness. Fruit quality is good to very good. Tree is of moderate vigor, upright and productive. Stores about 5 months. Ripens in mid September. Also known as 20th Century.
SHINSEIHO – Rather large fruit with light yellow to green fruits that tend to be sweet with a small bit of tartness. The flavor improves after developing in storage for a couple of weeks. Ripens in mid to late September.
KIKUSUI – Large yellow-green skinned fruit. Flesh is white, sweet with a light tartness, firm, crisp and juicy. Tree is of medium size and vigorous, slightly spreading and very productive. Fruit must be heavily thinned to obtain size. Fruit quality is very good, skin can be tender. Stores well, about 6-7 months. Sometimes mistaken for NIJISSEIKI. Ripens mid to late September.
SHINKO – Fruit is medium to large (14-20 oz.) with a brown to golden brown russet. Flesh is yellowish white with a good juicy, sweet flavor. Fruit quality is very good to excellent. Tree is of medium size, average vigor and a heavy bearer. Stores 3 to 4 months. Ripens mid October.
NIITAKA – Large to very large (14-26 oz.), orange-brown russet pear. Flesh is somewhat coarse, juicy, sweet (more tart in Puget Sound region), slightly off-white. Tree is fairly large, but somewhat weak. Fruit quality is fair to good. Stores 5 to 6 months. Ripens mid to late October.
SEURI – Round shaped Chinese pear. Skin is unusual, a yellow under color with a mottled partial russet. Flesh is bright white, good crisp texture, aromatic, floral, sweet flavor. Tree is very vigorous and strong, heavy bearer. Fruit quality good and size is large to very large. Short storage life, only about 4 weeks. Ripens in late October.
KOREAN GIANT – Very large (16-32 oz.), attractive orange-brown russet, round pear. Flesh is firm, crisp and juicy sweet. Tree is very vigorous, large, upright. Long storage life, about 8 to 9 months. It is a Korean pear. One of the best tasting, late ripening varieties. Ripens late October, early November.
The following varieties are available for trial. Please ask if you would like more information on any of them: MEGIETSU, OLYMPIC, TOKYO GOLD, TSU LI, YA LI, and YONGI.
Asian Pear Pollination Chart
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Brooks Plums
PLUMS – PRUNES
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Would you like to have a flowering plum tree that has decorative reddish purple leaves and then bears delicious purple plums? Then, try HOLLYWOOD PLUM.
METHLEY – Medium to large, reddish purple fruit. Juicy flesh with a sweet, mild, distinctive flavor. Fine quality. Good for fresh eating or jelly. Self fruitful. Ripens late July to August. A good pollinator for other early blooming varieties. Japanese type. Vigorous.
EARLY LAXTON – Bright pinkish orange fruit dotted with rose and violet. Juicy, sweet, freestone flesh, high in vitamin C. Reliable, heavy bearer. Must be thinned or branches will be too heavy. European type.
MIRABELLE – Small, round, yellow fruit with yellow dots. Firm, tender, yellow, freestone flesh, sweet and mild. Good for jams, tarts, compotes, and canning. Grown in Europe, especially in France. Spreading tree is highly productive. European type.
SHIRO – Yellow skin and flesh; very juicy, flavor is mild, sweet. Usually fruits heavily. Ripens early August. Japanese type.
BEAUTY – A bright red, medium sized fruit that has amber streaked flesh. The tree is said to be self fruitful. Ripens in early August. Dependable. It is fast growing and extremely productive.
HOLLYWOOD – Bears large reddish purple plums that ripen in mid-August. Plums are delicious fresh eating, freestone when fully ripe. Excellent for Western Washington. Apparently does not require cross-pollination. Japanese type. See a picture of the Hollywood plum tree at http://www.arthurleej.com/a-spencer.html. Click your back button to return to the plum descriptions.
GREEN GAGE – Yellow-green skin, yellow flesh; firm, juicy, sweet rich flavor. Old standard type, good for dessert and canning. Ripens mid-August. Green strain available too. European type.
SENECA – Large, sweet, juicy prune plum. Ripens just before Stanley. Tree vigorous and upright. Requires pollinator. European type.
STANLEY – Fruit is large size and dark blue. Flesh is greenish-yellow, juicy, firm, and sweet. Ripens mid season. Excellent prune for eating fresh, canning, and drying. An exceptionally hardy type of the Italian. Self-fertile. Ripens early September. European type. There are also some ITALIAN trees available.
BROOKS – An excellent eating prune of unusually good quality. Keeps well. Does not need a pollinator. This plum is great for dehydrating. Ripens early September. European type.
The following varieties are available for trial. Please ask if you would like more information on any of them: FRIAR, DAMSON, EL DORADO, ELEPHANT HEART, HOWARD, IMPERIAL EPINEUSE, OBILNAJA, PRESIDENT (President – Late ripening (mid October), may not ripen in some areas in Puget Sound.), QUEEN VICTORIA, SCHOOLHOUSE, and SHROPSHIRE DAMSON. We have been impressed with the FRIAR.
Plum Pollination Chart
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Plum Pictures – links to collection of pictures previously available on Hartman’s Nursery website.
CHERRIES
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Stella Cherries under netting
SWEET CHERRY TREES (in approximate order of ripening)
EARLY BURLAT – Old French sweet variety recently released by the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Large, firm, deep red fruits of good quality, similar to Bing. The fruits will crack in some seasons. Ripens in late June.
BADA – Yellow sweet cherry with red blush. Creamy flesh has best flavor when tree ripened. Vigorous, productive, genetic dwarf tree. Can be easily maintained at 12-15’. Heavy, reliable producer. Good pollinator. Recommended by Oregon State University for areas where bacterial canker is a problem. Ripens in early July.
HEDELFINGEN – Medium size, blackish-red, and firm fleshed fruit. Very good quality, highly productive, and crack resistant. Ripens in mid July.
STELLA – A good-quality, self-fertile sweet cherry, developed in British Columbia. Large, dark red fruits, very good flavor. Less subject to cracking than Bing. Good pollinizer for other sweet cherries. Moderately resistant to bacterial canker. Ripens in late July.
LAPINS – Van x Stella. Firm fruit as large as Bing. Excellent quality and rich flavor. Bacterial canker and crack resistant. Heavy producer. Self –fertile. Ripens late July.
TART CHERRY TREES (in approximate order of ripening)
ENGLISH MORELLO – Medium-size dark red fruit, good quality, producing purple-red juice. Highly productive. Low, broad-spreading tree makes harvest easy. Ripens in mid to late July.
MONTMORENCY – The standard pie cherry for commercial and home planting. Bears early, very productive. Medium-large dark red fruit, good quality and flavor. Needs very little disease control if kept open to sun. Ripens in late July.
The cherry trees are on the Krymsk 5 and Colt rootstocks. Krymsk 5 is a dwarf to semi-dwarf rootstock and the Colt is larger. Besides the varieties listed above we have the ANGELA, COMPACT LAMBERT, COMPACT STELLA, EMPEROR FRANCIS, and RAINIER. Also there is another tart cherry called NORTH STAR.
Cherry Pollination Chart
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Cherry Pictures – none available