In most years one week will not help in Lubbock (Texas panhandle). However I might as well plant the latest available. Thanks Scott.
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You get more chilling than I do down here in Alpine but not as much as Amarillo where I grew apricots for 30 yrs. The amount and timing of chilling will affect bloom time. So what happens in one yr or location won’t happen in another. The Sugar Pearls may not be blooming down here due to inadequate chilling. Maybe on a good yr in Lubbock it would. It’s all a crap shoot with apricots.
Did you have any nectarine success in Amarillo?
All this talk of apricots was driving me crazy.
It’s a cold dark rainy day here. Craving those sweet liquidy cots-- erp!
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Harglow is about 5 days later than others in the Har series and I’ve never known it to have a crop survive a frost when others were burned out. Same deal with the Reliant peach and other tastier somewhat hardy varieties, although with the peach it is about winter bud hardiness.
Loring and all its sports are always sold with a warning not to grow them in frost susceptible sites but I’ve never lost a crop from these when others bore well.
I don’t doubt that there is a basis for these warnings but they just haven’t panned out for me.
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I only remember trying Redgold. During those yrs I didn’t realize the possible quality advantages of nectarines. Were I back there again I’d try things like Harko and Mericrest for hardy types. Also some of the higher chill CA material like Honey Royale and Honey Kist.
Scott, can’t find any info on NJ-21-107. Do you know if rutgers ever named and released it?
Thanks!
I’m not Scott, but I just got mine delivered a week ago from ACN. 
It’s called Ilona and it appears in ACN’s 2017 print catalog. Not sure if it’s listed online yet. I had to call and order.
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Yup thats it! No Ilona for me this year unfortunately, I was just looking at it and all the blossoms got fried 
I live about 70 miles north of Lubbock and moorpark , orangered , robada , and tilton have all bloomed. Montrose and sugar pearls have not. Lubbock is enough warmer that some of these might work for you. Tilton is recommended south of Plainview. I have tried a few nectarines and I would not recommend them unless you are prepared to go all out to control thrips.
Neither would bloom here either. At least not so far. I think our winter is too short and not enough chilling.
Every apricot I tried in Amarillo bloomed but too early. Amarillo gets about twice the chilling we do in Alpine. Lots of chilling can be a double edged sword. Too much and things bloom too early, not enough and they may not bloom at all.
Our apples appear to be slow to bloom this yr because the winter was so warm. That could turn out to be good depending on freezes from here on.
Has anyone heard of Iowa or Hardy Iowa apricot? I came across Bob Pruvis’ scion list on his website and saw this variety. His description says that it is a later blooming variety (“later than most”).
I am of course interested because of it providence.
I’ve got something my wive’s family calls an Iowa peach. Sets a ton of little yellow, fuzzy and sweet peaches every year.
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Are they white flesh or yellow flesh? I bought some white fleshed ones from a guy at the farmer’s market once who was calling small, greenish, white fleshed peaches the same. I think they were like what I’ve seen in Seed Savers as “Indian White” peaches.
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Check out this scientific abstract I found.
The study found Zard the most cold-hardy and latest blossoming of the bunch they tested.
This would confirm Scott’s observations on Zard’s late blossoming.
Hargrand, Harlayne and Harglow are listed as runners-up.
This would confirm @alan’s observations on Hargrand being a rugged survivor, and Harglow being a late bloomer.
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Don’t try those types in a low to medium chilling area. They need a long cool/cold winter to even flower.
They may be better than average, but I’ve had both Hargrand and Harlayne die on me. Montrose seems the most likely to produce from what I’ve been growing, though hopefully Zard will exceed it (I have a graft, but it hasn’t flowered yet). After the cold snap this spring, Montrose was 95%+ of my fruit set, with very little for any of my other apricots (1 Tomcot, 0 Orange Red, etc). I still only got a handful, but that was because bugs and animals also like apricots.
Note- I have two Montrose, on opposite sides of the yard (1 on North side of house, other on a rock wall with SW sun exposure), with other apricots near each. Both Montrose trees had some fruit-set.
From Burnt Ridge (where I got it from):
MONTROSE APRICOT (Armeniaca vulgaris)
Discovered at 6,000 ft elevation near Montrose, CO. This is a late blooming, hardy tree with good disease resistance, and is self fruitful. Produces yellow, sweet, flavorful, egg sized apricots that are semi freestone. Inside the pit the edible, almond-like kernel is sweet. Montrose Apricot deserves wide testing in Northern areas where it is likely to be best adapted. Late summer ripening due to its late blooming.
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Hi! I’m in 7a, I have Tomcot and Harglo. Harglo takes a number of years to fruit and hang onto it. It is not my favorite tasting apricot, but it is good. Tomcot, which I had my very first taste of this year was excellent. The only thing I can say from my experience with these two trees, is that they grow beautifully and quickly and mine bloomed starting their second year. The only lack of control I had, was over the late spring frosts that instantly killed the blooms. If we wouldn’t have late spring frosts I would have had more apricots! The trees are strong as well.
To get any clarity at all about survival rates, you have to deal with many trees at many sites over many years (as I realize that a scientist like you already know this). I have absolutely no experience with Montrose, so your experience with it interests me, but I’m guessing if the pit is edible, squirrels will become a factor if unprotected. As far as relative surviveability, I will be pleasantly surprised if your experience with it is indicative of the ultimate reality, unless it flowers later (comes out of dormancy) than other varieties. It was not specifically bred to survive in a humid climate, and lots of apricots in the west survive in environments with more drastic weather swings that what we experience here- somehow, humidity seems part of the problem although I think a scientific explanation has not been discovered.
It was after over 20 years of growing Hargrand at several sites that it finally became apparent to me that it was the best survivor of any I grow. I don’t even know how many of them I’ve lost, but at sites where I’ve lost several, Hargrand is often the only survivor.
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As much as I like testing things, I’m not a scientist- just an engineer (a practical scientist 
).
Yes, I agree that my experience isn’t enough to predict survival, something which is sporadic and somewhat chancy. Though I would consider it very slightly better than neutral.
The bigger positive is the likely-hood of getting fruit in years with spring frosts. We seem to have quite a few of these now, so it is becoming an important characteristic. I would suggest that my anecdotal data is encouraging because:
1.) Both Montrose trees had fruit set when none of the other Apricots did
2.) Different parts of the yard helps eliminate localized condition (like right up against house, etc).
3.) The bloom did seem later for Montrose than the other varieties, something that Scott has seen as well (though I’m not sure if his Hoyt Montrose is the same as the Montrose I have):
From 2nd Link:
I have high hopes for Zard. Not only do I love white apricots (never from my own yard yet…), but the later bloom and high brix sound great.
Scott isn’t the only one who has noticed Zard:
The central Asian cultivar called Zard is the latest blooming apricot currently in our collection
(Figure 1). It typically blooms about 7 to 10 days later than our latest European-type apricots,
which is as late as our earliest peaches. Zard is reported to be more tolerant of frost and have a
higher heat requirement than other apricots. Zard ripens about 2 weeks after Harcot. The fruit
are small, 3.5 to 4.0 cm (1.4 to 1.6 inches), and green-yellow when soft ripe. The flesh is soft,
juicy and very sweet with soluble solids between 22-24%.
I think animals are a problem for any apricot, at least in my yard. I had the same problems with Tomcot before my main tree died. I don’t think I have that many squirrels, but the army of raccoons and chipmunks pick up whatever slack they leave. I must catch 15-20 raccoons, 3 possums, and 2 skunks for each squirrel. Though that could be a factor of the trap size I use- maybe squirrels don’t trip it as easily.
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