Apples, plums, peaches, and apricots are in the first section. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to read about Colorado native fruit trees and shrubs. Native fruit trees are very helpful in providing pollen for wild bees.
Apple Trees
HEIRLOOM APPLE! Malus ‘Whitney’ CRABAPPLE: We have heard many requests for crabapples the last few years. This tree, that was first grown in 1869, seemed just right. It produces a large size crab apple (somewhere between a ping pong ball and a tennis ball); yellow with red stripes when ripe. Whitney Crab is one of the few crabapples that is great for eating out of hand. It also makes good sauce, pies, and cider. Ripens in August or early September. Great pollinator for your orchard. Super winter hardy. To 15′ tall. Zone 3.
Malus ‘Liberty’ APPLE: This late-blooming semi-dwarf apple tree produces medium size crisp, juicy fruit, good for fresh eating, pies, or sauce. Fire blight resistant. 12′-15′ tall. We’re growing this tree again because we’ve had good feedback about it from our customers. One Rye resident said it was the most prolific producing apple tree of the four he planted. Hardy to zone 4.
Malus ‘Harelred’ APPLE: This late-blooming dwarf apple tree produces medium size crisp, tart, and juicy fruit good for eating, cooking, and storing. Fire blight resistant. 12′-15′ tall. Hardy to zone 3.
HEIRLOOM APPLE! Malus ‘Yellow Transparent’ APPLE: This very sweet, early, summer-producing apple is excellent for sauce, wine, juice, freezing, and drying. We are offering this apple as a whip (no branches) for those who want to prune their fruit tree using the method described in Grow A Little Fruit Tree, by Ann Ralph. Very winter hardy, for all of our high elevation customers! Zone 3, and will ripen fruit in July!
Prunus armeniaca ‘Pioneer’ APRICOT: This is a late bloomer compared to other apricots, so ideal for higher elevations. Sweet, firm, juicy fruit. Self-pollinating. 12′ tall. Zone 4.
Prunus ‘Westcot’ APRICOT: The Westcot apricot was developed by the Morden Canada Research station in 1982 –this is the same agricultural research center that provides us with so many hardy roses! Westcot apricot was bred to survive the cold Canadian prairie and is considered one of the best for producing fruit in our climate. The fruit is a deep golden yellow–excellent for eating fresh off the tree or used for jam, jelly, or pie. Zone 3.
Prunus americana WILD PLUM: This Colorado native will eventually spread into a thicket, making a great habitat for wildlife. It has fragrant, white flowers in May and ripe fruit in July or August. Our tastiest native fruit, the plums are good for preserves and for wildlife. The leaves turn yellow to red in the fall. Hardy to 8500′. 3′-10′ tall. Xeric. Zone 4.
Prunus ‘Alderman’ PLUM: Sweet, juicy, dark red plums! This is one of the very hardiest plums you can grow. 15′ tall. Zone 3.
Prunus ‘Toka’ PLUM: This plum is a great pollinator! Grow it with ‘Alderman’ plum for a big crop. Deep red skin, yellow flesh. Sweet and spicy taste. 15′ tall. Zone 4.
Prunus persica ‘The Contender’ PEACH: This variety is more tolerant of late spring frosts than most peaches, and it yields large crops of sweet, juicy, medium to large freestone fruit. Ripens in mid to late August. Self-pollinating. 8-10′ Tall. Zone 4.
SMALL FRUITS AND BERRIES
Strawberries
Fragaria ‘Ft. Laramie’: One of the most cold hardiest strawberry plants around, and sweet berries, too. Zone 3. Everbearing.
Fragaria ‘Eversweet’: Our favorite for hotter climates, Eversweet tolerates the heat of midsummer and still produces big berries! Zone 5.
Fragaria ‘Pineberry’ STRAWBERRY: White berries with red seeds, what a cool looking strawberry! We had a few plants last year and people loved them. I don’t think it tastes like a pineapple, the way some people claim, but it does add a sweet tropical note to the berry. Love it in baskets, nice in the garden, too. Grow a mixed basket with lots of kinds of strawberries for easy picking all summer! Zone 5.
Raspberries
Rubus ‘Fall Gold’ RASPBERRY, RED: Ever-bearing. I love the flavor of this one. Like the yellow or white strawberries, birds don’t bother this one as much as they do the red raspberries.
Rubus ‘Heritage: Produces medium sized berries with very good flavor. Raspberries spread, so give it plenty of room, good soil, and regular water, and you will be rewarded with your own productive raspberry patch
Grapes
Vitis ‘St. Theresa’ GRAPE: A hardy purple seedless grape. Ripens in September. Excellent flavor. Zone 4.
Rhubarb
Rheum rhaponticum ‘Chipman’s Canada Red’ RHUBARB: Bright red stems; sweet flavor. Great for sauces or pies. Zone 3.
NATIVE FRUIT TREES AND SHRUBS
Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Regent’ SASKATOON SERVICEBERRY: If you long for blueberries and can’t grow them in our alkaline soil, here is a good alternative. Big white flowers in May give way to blue berries in June and July. Sweeter than other varieties of serviceberries. Good for fresh eating and for jelly. Birds like them, too. 4′-5′ tall. Zone 4.
Prunus americana WILD PLUM: This Colorado native will eventually spread into a thicket, making a great habitat for wildlife. It has fragrant, white flowers in May and ripe fruit in July or August. Our tastiest native fruit, the plums are good for preserves and for wildlife. The leaves turn yellow to red in the fall. Hardy to 8500′. 3′-10′ tall. Xeric. Zone 4
Prunus besseyi SANDCHERRY: A native of Colorado, this shrub is very drought tolerant. White flowers in spring are followed by cherries that are good for jelly, and very appealing to birds. Red fall color. 4-5′ tall. Zone 4.
Ribes aureum GOLDEN CURRANT: The flowers are clove scented; it blooms in late April in Rye. It’s very drought tolerant and will grow in sun to part shade. The fruit turns dark purple when ripe. The flowers are popular with hummingbirds. 4′-5′ tall. Deer resistant. Zone 3.
Sambucus nigra caerulea BLUE ELDERBERRY: This small native tree (or large shrub) is a great addition to the garden. It flowers in June and July and the berries are loved by humans and birds! You must cook them to use them, however, for jelly, or in wine. The flowers are used to make a tincture to protect against colds and flu. 12′ tall. Zone 4.
