(Apricot)

This deciduous fruit bearing tree is the parent of most modern apricot cultivars. Native to Northeast China, and introduced to cultivation there more than 3,000 years ago, the apricot reached southeastern Europe via Armenia or Persia in about 70 BC. It was later introduced to Spain by the Arabs. It arrived in England and the eastern United States in the seventeenth century; Spanish missionaries brought it to California in the eighteenth century. Few selections were made until the nineteenth century....

(Apricot)

One of the few apricot cultivars that weathers the bitter winters of the Northern Plains States, 'Scout' was introduced in 1937 by the Dominion Experimental Station, Morden, Manitoba. It was raised from seed imported from Manchuria in 1930. Unlike most modern apricots, which are selections of Prunus armeniaca, it probably descends from Manchurian apricot (P. mandshurica) or Siberian apricot (P. sibirica).

This vigorous, rounded, small to medium-sized...

(Sweet Cherry)

This sweet cherry is among the most universally enjoyed of all tree fruits. It is believed to have originated from a region between the Black and Caspian Seas in Asia Minor. The Greeks and Romans popularized the fruits through heavy cultivation and planted the trees throughout their ancient empires. Continued European cultivation inspired more refined selection and eventually breeding. American colonists introduced sweet cherries to the New World early on and the trees were brought westward to the...

(Meteor Tart Cherry, Sour Cherry)

Bred to endure the severe winters of the northern Midwest United States, this hybrid of the famous 'Montmorency' sour cherry was introduced in 1952 by the University of Minnesota. Cultivated since ancient times, sour cherries probably originated in eastern Europe or western Asia from a hybrid between sweet cherry, Prunus avium, and ground cherry, Prunus fruticosa.

This small, rounded, exceptionally cold-hardy tree has shiny, oval, dark green leaves that emerge in early to...

(Beach Plum)

The traditional source of beach plum jelly, this hardy, suckering, deciduous shrub is a signature plant of coastal dunes from New Brunswick to Maryland. Typically low-growing in its windswept native haunts, it can attain small-tree stature in less demanding conditions.

The toothed, oval, dull green leaves with paler fuzzy undersides emerge in mid-spring, shortly after the small, white, bee-pollinated flowers open. The abundant blooms occur in numerous small clusters on the previous year's...

(Bird Cherry)

This small, round-crowned, deciduous tree from Europe and northern Asia has long been cultivated for its handsome foliage, fragrant white flowers, and bird-attracting fruit. It is closely related to the American Prunus virginiana.

The spreading to ascending branches of this hardy tree are furnished with elliptical, medium-green leaves which flush bright green in early spring and turn yellow in fall. The leaves have finely toothed margins and short-pointed tips. Long, drooping clusters...

(Berg Redleaf Bird Cherry, Bird Cherry)

This outstanding small tree boasts fragrant white spring blossoms and handsome burgundy foliage. Appearing early in spring, its oval, pointed leaves bear tints of bronze and green before deepening to wine red with maturity. Drooping clusters of sweet-scented, white flowers emerge in abundance from the branch tips in mid-spring. These are followed by small purple-black fruits which ripen in late summer and are beloved by many songbirds. The bitter fruits are edible to humans and are sometimes...

(Bird Cherry, Mayday Tree)

Exceptionally cold hardy with drooping, fragrant spring flowers and yellow fall foliage, Mayday tree is a tough deciduous shade or street tree. Hailing from Eurasia, from northern Europe fully eastward to Japan and Korea, it is a modest-sized tree and eventually attains an upright shape with ascending branches. Its leaves emerge early in spring, and may bear tints of bronze and green when young. Once mature, the leaves turn dull green and have an oval but pointed shape. In early to mid-spring, the...

(Black Cherry)

The largest of the cherries, this fast-growing, medium to large deciduous tree is valued not only for its ornamental attributes but also as a timber tree. It is native from central and eastern North America to Guatemala.

The tapered, oval, saw-edged leaves are glossy dark green above and paler underneath. New leaves are often bronze-tinged, and fall color is typically bright yellow. In mid to late spring, upright to horizontal, cylindrical clusters of white five-petaled flowers adorn the branches,...

(Nanking Cherry)

A dense medium-sized deciduous shrub valued for its cold-hardiness and its early bloom, this Asian native bears masses of scented pale pink flowers in earliest spring. Edible round red fruits follow the flowers. The reddish-brown bark provides winter interest. The oval leaves have fuzzy undersides.

This tough shrub relishes sun and well-drained soil, and thrives in areas with cold winters. Use it where its early flowers can be seen and smelled. It is also a candidate for the edible garden.