Anyone know where I can get a Sugar Pearls apricot tree in California or at least, will ship to California?
I got a Harcot as a pollen friend for Blenheim and then my Blehneim died (no idea why).
Now I am looking at Sugar Pearls to be a pollen friend to my Harcot.
Thanks!
I have Sugar Pearls, Lasrgerdi Mashhad, Cot’n Candy and White Knockout (all are white cots). While Sugar Pearls is good, the other three are significantly better. I would recommend White Knockout, which is self pollinating, heavy producer of very large, very tasty and sweet apricots. It is also a few weeks earlier than Harcot (or Blenheim), so you would get good spread of your harvest. It is available from several CA nurseries, including Bay Laurel:
Notes:
1- Blenheim is self-pollinating and does not need cross pollination.
2-Harcot is mediocre tasting cot, I would top-work that tree with another variety. There are so many better tasting cots out there. See the links below for some examples:
Thanks for your recommendations!
I thought it was widely accepted that even self-pollinators crop better with a pollination partner?
I am not sure that statement is universal, I think it depends on the variety and possibly climate too.
I can tell you that both my Blenheim and White Knockout are very heavy producers.
I am sad to lose my Blenheim but the Harcot is doing well. I am 8A in a Mediterranean climate with late spring frosts. I was told Harcot handled late spring frosts, is why I picked it.
I just have the one Harcot in apricots and was wanting to get a white variety, thanks for the recommendation and link to White Knockout.
I am still going to give Harcot a shot, you never know, might be better in my location?
If I were you, I would keep one or two scaffolds of the Harcot, and graft the others with more reputable varieties.
I just scored a white knockout apricot at Costco, thanks for the recommendation.
Congratulations! I hope it survives your spring frosts, and you get to enjoy its prolific crops…
Me too I do feel bad for trees. I buy at Costco in spring because they’re all awake and then I dragged them all the way after 4200 feet where it’s a lot less friendly for trees that are awake.
Right now, my Harcot is still sound asleep and the Moorpark just started showing the very faint tip of pink.
So White knockout will have a rough start. I’m sure that should adapt to a different week of time and its new location next year.
It is interesting what elevation does to climate! I am in Z6A, and my cots are at popcorn stage; I would have never thought that my trees will be ahead of yours.
I have the same question originally posted here, and am sorry to see that the solution was to buy another apricot. Because I live in a cold-winter part of CA with erratic spring temps I’m interested in Sugar Pearl not only for its flavor but also its late blooming, said elsewhere in Growing Fruit to be comparable to its parent Zard. Any advice for me? (Based on advice on other threads I’ve so far planted Chinese, Harcot, and Montrose apricots.)
How has Lasgerdi Mashhad set for you? Scott says LM is one of the best whites. He’s had problems with it setting well though.
Thats soo good to know! I will get Lasrgerdi Mashhad and other varieties for the first time! Im very happy!
Yeah, I’m finding I like the whites more than the oranges. White Blenheim is also excellent.
Lasgerdi is an excellent setter for me. Fantastic taste.
Which do you consider the better apricot between Lasgerdi and White Knockout? Want to get LM, but if WK is better I’ll just spread more of what I already have.
I love both, and they have fairly different flavors, so it is hard to choose. Lasgerdi ripens after WK, which nicely extends my cot season. If I start again I would plant both, or graft one to the other.
I haven’t had many White Knockouts but would agree they are different. Shalah is also very different.
My Lasgerdi has a massive number of fruits right now, but the usual pattern is they start dropping soon en Masse. Or maybe top working half the tree to WK got its attention and it will finally get in line this year 
To answer the original question: A California source of Sugar Pearls. I haven’t yet located a source in California and most outside of California simply state that they won’t ship to CA. But Cummins Nursery didn’t say that, so I wrote to them and they replied,
“Yes, we can ship apricots to California. Orders being shipped to California just need to go through a phytosanitary inspection, so we add a $15 fee for the cleaning and inspection to those orders.”
This link should take you directly to their Sugar Pearls listing.
Thank you, Joy!