I just stop by Lowes to get some hardware and swing over to the garden center to take a look at the fruit trees. They are offering some decent fruit trees but very pricey at $54 for a five gallons pot. I saw Superior, Toka, and Blackice plums. Golden spice pear. Are the Blackice plum and Golden Spice pear any good?
Tony
Good lord! $54! They are normally about $25 here. But their trees aren’t in stock yet. I did see Wal Mart had a bunch of trees outside both entrances today as I drove by. Looked like some had started to leaf out already.
I dunno. I think I’d look around a little more.
Black Ice is a very good plum. I got to eat one last summer. I would like to get some scion wood and graft it.
In my area Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Walmart prices for potted fruit trees run about $20-$30. The ones I see appear to be in 3-4 gallon containers. Larger pot sizes normally escalate the price. Bill
Lowes fruit trees are less expensive here in Statesboro Georgia, but they aren’t in five gallon pots either. They are three gallon. That’s the reason for the expense, I’m guessing. Honestly, I would wait until they got some smaller trees or keep looking. Also the supplier for lows has a reputation for switching labels on their material, so there is always the risk that they tree you purchase from them is not what’s on the label.
Bottom line, trees in five gallon pots will likely not grow as fast and take longer to established than one in a three or two gallon pot. That’s a lot of money when a smaller tree is likely to catch up with it very quickly. God bless.
Marcus
This is a very old post of mine related to the only tree I ever bought from Lowe’s. I had purchased a Honeycrisp tree there that was on m106 rootstock. The tree looked nice and leafed out well but within weeks it started to degrade. We all theorized what might be causing it from water issues to a termite that was found on the roots indicating the roots were dying. As you can see in the pics after I autopsied the tree it was evident that poor practice and quality control caused the tree to die. A piece of plastic similar to what you’d find on a 6-pack was girdling the tree root system. Why that type of plastic was being used around a nursery bed is beyond me but it was pretty clear that it had grown into the roots and had caused girdling. So yes Lowe’s trees can be hit or miss.
I found the infos on Golden Spice pear.
Golden Spice Pear
Common Name : Golden spice pear
Scientific Name : Pyrus ussuriensis
Zone : 3 to 7
Height : 15 to 20 feet
Width : 10 to 15 feet
Culture :
This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments.
Description :
This tree features showy white flowers in spring, good fall color and consistent oval shape; small firm yellow fruit that is lightly blushed and ripe in late August, best for canning and very resistant to fireblight. Golden Spice Pear is smothered in stunning clusters of white flowers with purple anthers along the branches in mid spring. It has dark green foliage throughout the season. The glossy oval leaves turn an outstanding burgundy in the fall. The fruits are yellow pomes displayed in mid-fall, which are excellent for making jams and jellies but which can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit. The furrowed brown bark is not particularly outstanding.
Problem :
This is a high maintenance tree that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration. Additional disease problems include anthracnose, canker, scab and powdery mildew. Insect visitors include pear psylla, coddling moth and borers.
Garden Uses:
Golden Spice Pear is a dense deciduous tree with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
Tony
Golden Spice pear is one of the more winter hardy varieties available. Everything I’ve read says to not plant one unless you have to for winter hardiness.
My experience with golden spice is that it is marginally eatable as fresh fruit. It might make good pickles though. God bless. Unless you are in Zone 3, there are much better pears to plant. Even in Zone 3 there are better pears to plant such as Early Gold.
Marcus
Golden spice is one of the best pears I have tasted, and I have tasted a lot of pears from warm and cold zones. I suspect it got a bad reputation by the original description from the University of Minnesota (as not being an eating/dessert pear) and hasn’t been able to get beyond that. It is juicy sweet and excellent balance of sugar and acid, and it also has a a very slight background of tannins, which it gets from ussuriensis. If you take another look at the idea of tannins in fruit as potentially being a good thing, as we have done with wine, beer, salad, etc then you might agree that this is one of the best pears out there, in part BECAUSE of rather than I spite of the tanmin. Except for its size, but its size can be greatly increased with position on the tree and irrigation. And if size were the sole determinant of quality than Seckel considered to be one of the very best, would never have made. I have tasted many pears descended from ussuriensis and do not like the strong ussuriensis bitterness/astringency but this is not the case with golden spice. It is not that strong.
Golden spice is one i thought i had but it was actually another variety. Have not tried it.
No. I have never needed cold hardiness and to be honest, I left behind the sand pear and ussuriensis pear hybrids when I left the south.