After years of preparation, the Fruit Demonstration Garden at The Webster Arboretum is nearly complete. These fruits were selected to show what can be grown in your backyard with minimal maintenance. All of our selections are dwarf varieties, hardy in our area and disease resistant. They will not be sprayed.
The following selections may be found in our newly established fruit garden.
Hardy kiwi Vine (Actinidia arguta) is a cold-hardy cousin of the vine that produces the familiar kiwi fruit sold at grocery stores. This cold-tolerant cultivar can be grown in USDA zones 3 through 8, depending on the variety. Like its warm-weather cousin, hardy kiwi also produces a sweet edible fruit that is smaller than a traditional kiwi (about the size of a large grape) and can be eaten whole, without peeling. Hardy kiwi is primarily featured in landscapes for its attractive heart-shaped foliage. This climber grows well on strong trellises, fences, pergolas, and other structures.
The Bonfire Patio Peach Tree is a compact dwarf purple-leaf peach with beautiful spring blossoms covering every branch. Beautiful trees even when not in bloom. In April the Bonfire Patio Peach tree is covered in stunning pink blooms that have a coral pink eye. The blooms are quickly replaced by long dark purple leaves. This tree only grows 4-7′ tall and can be used as a container on a patio. Perfect for small spaces. Used mainly for ornamental, landscape purposes.
The Black Tartarian Cherry Tree requires full sun, and this dwarf selection grows to about 8-10 feet. You will actually need room for two trees, as this variety is not self-pollinating. Any other sweet cherry will work as a pollinator. Without an additional tree, your Black Tartarian will not produce fruit. This heirloom sweet cherry is loved for its beautiful white flowers and dark purplish-black fruits, which are just as delicious in preserves as they are when eaten right off of the tree.
The Viking Currant, popularly known as 'Rote Hollandische', is a red powerhouse cultivar with origins in Norway. Highly resilient to white pine blister, it is an excellent choice for growers seeking a low-maintenance, high-yield crop. With its vigorous growth, cold tolerance, and exceptional disease and pest resistance, this currant variety outshines its counterparts. It produces delectable red berries that are guaranteed to please even the most critical taste buds.
The Blanka Current is a delightful white currant that produces heavy clusters of off-white berries on long strigs. The fruit starts tart but sweetens as it ripens, making it perfect for winemaking, juice, or fresh snacking right from your garden. This easy-to-grow, vigorous, mid-season variety features a spreading growth habit, making it a charming and productive addition to any home garden. Blanka is recommended for growers in hardiness zones 3–7.
Captivator Gooseberry is a deep red gooseberry suitable for culinary and edible use, fairly disease resistant and almost thornless, just a few on new growth. A deciduous shrub with a spreading bushy habit and mid-green lobed leaves. White flowers appear March to April and steady picking of the fruit begins in July. The Gooseberry is self-fertile. Gooseberries generally ripen in early summer, just after strawberries and produce large, teardrop-shaped fruit that is pink and sweet when ripe.
'Jeanne ‘Gooseberry is suitable for USDA zones 3-7. It grows 2-3 ft in height and 4-6 ft in width. The deep maroon-red fruits are medium in size, averaging five grams. The flavor is full and sweet. Yields are higher than other gooseberry cultivars due to the high resistance to powdery mildew and other fungal diseases which affect other cultivars. The flowering and fruit ripening of the Jeanne is late, yielding the first ripe fruits in mid to late July 2-3 years after planting.
Golden Treat Apple is a beautiful golden apple with a sweet, delicious flavor. It ripens early mid-season. It is a columnar tree that produces fruit on spurs along the main stem. It is disease resistance and can be grown in small spaces. The Golden Treat has a narrow upright habit, ideally suited to grow in a container on a patio or as a small tree in the ground. Trees grow about 8' tall. Like other apples, you need two different cultivars for pollination. USDA Zone: 4-9
'Tasty Red' Apple is a bright red, firm, sweet, juicy apple that ripens early mid-season. Tasty Red is a columnar tree that produce fruit on spurs along the main stem. It has a narrow upright habit and is ideally suited to grow in a container, on a patio, or as a small tree in the ground. Trees grow to about 8' tall. Like other apples, you will need two different cultivars for pollination. They are highly disease resistant and grow in USDA Zones 4-9.
The Chicago Hardy Fig Tree is known for being especially cold hardy and producing small, brown to purple-colored figs. The inside of the fruit is colored a lovely shade that looks like strawberry jam. This plant is also known as the Bensonhurst Purple fig or Hardy Chicago. It is productive and easy to grow, exhibiting drought-tolerance once established. The Chicago Hardy may die back in colder climates and resume growth in the spring. It bears fruit early on the new growth. Figs that grow on the older wood will appear in early summer. This plant is heat tolerant and self-pollinating.
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