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A Resource Guide to Low-Chill Fruit Trees

Articles: A Resource Guide to Low-Chill Fruit Trees

Lotusland Orchard Cultivars

In the October 2008 issue of Pacific Horticulture, Virginia Hayes shared with readers the program underway at Ganna Walska Lotusland to restore the garden’s orchards with fruit trees that are particularly adapted to Santa Barbara’s mild winters. The following list represents the current inventory of low-chill fruit trees that have proven themselves in Santa Barbara (Sunset zone 24, USDA zone 10). Gardeners throughout Southern and coastal California may find that trees on this list will produce reliably in their gardens as well.

Apples (Malus sylvestris var. domestica)
‘Anna’
‘Beverly Hills’
‘Ein Shemer’
‘Fuji’
‘Gordon’
‘Pettingill’
‘Pink Lady’
‘Red Fuji’
‘Tropical Beauty’
‘White Winter Pearmain’

Apricots (Prunus armeniaca)
‘Gold Kist’
‘Katy’
‘Lorna’
‘Newcastle’
‘Royal’

Figs (Ficus carica)
‘Black Mission’
‘Flanders’
‘Improved Brown Turkey’
‘Kadota’

Novel Hybrids
Dapple Dandy Pluot (Prunus armeniaca x P. x domestica)
Flavor Queen Pluot
Flavor Delight Aprium (P. armeniaca x P. x domestica)
‘Delight’ cherry plum (P. avium x P. x domestica)
‘Sprite’ cherry plum

Cherries (Prunus avium)
‘Craig’s Crimson’
‘Stella’

European Plums (Prunus x domestica)
‘Green Gage’

Japanese Plums (Prunus salicina)
‘Beauty’
‘Burgundy’
‘Elephant Heart’
‘Friar’
‘Howard Miracle’
‘Laroda’
‘Santa Rosa’
‘Satsuma’

Peaches (Prunus persica)
‘August Pride’
Australian saucer peach
‘Babcock’
‘Earlitreat’
‘Edwards Ambrosia’
‘Mid-Pride’
‘Ventura’

Nectarines (Prunus persica) var. nucipersica)
‘Arctic Glo’
‘Arctic Star’
‘Desert Dawn’
‘Double Delight’
‘Edwards Divinity’
‘Fantasia’
‘Panamint’

Pomegranates (Punica granatum)
‘Eversweet’
‘Wonderful’

Pears (Pyrus communis)
‘Flordahome’
‘Hood’
‘Keiffer’
‘Monterrey’

Asian Pears (Pyrus)
‘Twentieth Century’
‘Shinko’
‘Shinseiki’
‘Tsu Li’
‘Ya Li’

Jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba)
‘Li’

Almonds (Prunus dulcis)
‘All-in-One’
‘Garden Prince’ genetic dwarf
‘Nonpareil’
‘Price’

Citrus
‘Bearss’ lime (Citrus aurantiifolia
Yuzu (C. junos)
Sweet lime (C. limettoides)

‘Eureka’ lemon (C. limon)
‘Meyer’ lemon (C. x meyeri)
‘Pink Lemonade’ lemon (C. limon)

‘Oroblanco’ (C. paradisi x C. maxima; a pummelo and grapefruit cross)

‘Dancy’ mandarin (C. reticulata)
Satsuma mandarin group (C. reticulata)
‘Willow Leaf’ mandarin (C. reticulata)

Agua Tibia orange (C. sinensis)
‘Cara Cara’ navel orange (C. sinensis)
‘Robertson’ navel orange (C. sinensis)

‘Rio Red’ grapefruit (C. x paradisi)

Kumquat (Fortunella margarita)

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki)
‘Chocolate’
‘Hachiya’
‘Fuyu’

Avocado (Persea americana)
‘Hass’
‘Pinkerton’

This is by no means a complete list of fruit trees valued for their low chill requirements, nor should chill requirements be the only criteria for selecting a fruit tree for your own garden. The University of California, Davis offers extensive information about fruit trees, including their chill requirements. Visit the Fruit and Nut Research and Information Center at fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu .

Visit https://fruitsandnuts.ucdavis.edu/chillcalc/index.cfm for a table of cumulative chilling hours for various stations in most counties of California.

This information is accurate as of summer, 2008.

Nursery Sources

The following nurseries offer an excellent selection of fruit trees with low chill requirements, for regions with mild winters.

Bay Flora
1563 Solano Avenue #428
Berkeley, CA 94707
510/845-4042
www.bayflora.com
Online catalog and mail order

Bay Laurel Nursery
2500 El Camino Real
Atascadero, CA 93422
805/466-3406
www.baylaurelnursery.com
Online catalog, mail order, and walk-in

Exotica Rare Fruit Nursery
2508-B East Vista Way
Vista, CA 92084
760/724-9093
https://www.exoticararefruits.com/
Online catalog of mostly tropical fruits, mail order, and walk-in

Four Winds Growers
www.fourwindsgrowers.com
Online catalog for dwarf citrus trees

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
125 Clydesdale Court
Grass Valley, CA 95945
530/272-4769
www.groworganic.com
Online catalog and mail order

Sandy Bar Nursery
PO Box 347
Orleans, CA 95556
www.sandybarnursery.com
Online catalog and mail order

Sanhedrin Nursery
1094 Locust Street
Willits, CA 95490
707/459-900
www.sanhedrinnursery.com
Online catalog, mail order, and walk-in

Trees of Antiquity
20 Wellsona Road
Paso Robles, CA
805/467-9909
www.treesofantiquity.com
Online catalog and mail order

The Dave Wilson Nursery is a leader in the wholesale production of fruit trees, with a particular emphasis on trees for mild-winter regions. Headquartered near Modesto, California, the nursery sells only to retail outlets, not directly to individual customers. Visit the nursery’s website (www.davewilsonnusery.com) for information about the many cultivars of fruit trees available, cultural hints for home gardeners, and information on mail order and retail nurseries offering Dave Wilson Nursery trees; trees can be ordered in advance through many local retail nurseries.

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