Fun With Fruit

You don't need acres of ground to experience the taste of freshly picked fruit. Besides the obvious choice of fruit bushes, single fruit trees make wonderful accent points in a mixed border with their spring blossoms and summer fruit. Apple trees on standard stock, and persimmon make wonderfule shade trees over 30 ft tall.

Anothe form to consider is the espalliered fruit tree, which can be grown flat against a house, wall, or a fence. Branches are trained in regular patterns, usually horizontal or fance shaped, which actually improves fruit production.

Genetic Dwarf tres grow very happily in large pots or barrels, or you might want to consider a dwarf apple tree that only reaches 6 to 8 ft. Of course another popular fruit for pots on your patio is citrus. Lemon and lime trees do especially well in large pots and the fruits are readily available for refreshing summer drinks. Remember "dwarf" citrus are grown on rootstock that only afects the mature size of the tree - not the fruit!

And don't forget fruit when looking for a vine for your arbor. Grape and Kiwi vines will provide a dense coverage of large, fresh green leaves every summer, and you'll have the added bonus of the fruits.

Fruit doesn't have to be grown in an orchard, what could be better than picking your own fruit from your own tree?