I’m sorry to hear of the demise of Bear Creek Nursery. I never ordered from them, but I kept hoping to. They had quite a selection of apple trees. One that I always wanted to get was Chenango Strawberry, because it was discovered fairly close to where we live. I notice all the mail order nurseries you mention are west of the Rockies. Do you know of any nurseries in the east that specialize in fruit trees for colder climates? The only one I know of is St. Lawrence Nurseries, and since everything they sell is hardy to zone 3, they don’t carry most of the trees you mention. They do have Chenango Strawberry, but my son decided to buy a ‘Purdy’ apple instead. Besides having an attractive name, the apple is described as “Large apple with tart but pleasant flavor. Apples ripen over a long season and, if left, will hang on the tree into Nov. Discovered in the Adirondacks in a cold Zone 3.” Doesn’t sound like a good applesauce apple, because they don’t ripen all at once, but, if it’s hardy in Zone 3, I hope the blossoms will open later and not get hit by late frosts as often as our current apple trees do. They were here when we moved in and I have no idea what variety they are, and the daughter of the former owner didn’t know either.
About Kathy Purdy
Kathy Purdy discovered the joys of writing in fourth grade, when she started corresponding with a former classmate. She's been writing letters ever since, first on looseleaf, then electronically, and now as weblog entries. That makes you, the blog reader, her pen pal. Her first independent (though frustrating) attempts at gardening were made in high school, though the gardening bug didn't bite hard until her mid-thirties, when she found herself mistress of a rural home on 15 acres. • USDA Hardiness Zone:4 • AHS Heat Zone: 3 • Location: rural; Southern Tier of NY • Geographic type: foothills of Appalachian Mountains • Soil Type: acid clay • Experience level: intermediate • Particular interests: colchicums, narcissus, cottage gardening, NY native plants, gardening with/for children
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Kath, you will have to tell me how to blog again. I planted a chenango strawberry and the bunnies have decimated it. I am longing for sour cherries, because they are harder to get at the market. I also want a quince. Miller has all the old apple trees. Somewhere els also. Have you looked up fedco trees? I have a peach tree in the ground – I will let you know how that works out.
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