Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 104 5/24/17 11:12 AM
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 105 6/5/17 2:59 PM

104 chapter 2

Peaches and nectarines (Prunus persica).

These stone fruits are among my favorite fruits

for container gardens. Though regular grafted

dwarf trees do well enough in containers,

varieties that are true genetic dwarfs do even

better. They top out at just 5 ft. in height, but

they produce full-sized fruits. Peaches and

nectarines are self-fertile, so you

don’t need a pollination partner,

but most do require a good number

of chill hours, making them a

good choice for gardeners with

colder winters. A few excellent

genetic dwarf varieties include ‘El

Dorado’, ‘Pix Zee’, ‘Honey Babe’,

and ‘Empress’ peach, and ‘Necta

Zee’ and ‘Nectar Babe’ nectarine.

Because peaches and nectarines

are so closely related, the two can

even be grafted onto the same tree.

Plums (Prunus spp). Plums are

another good choice for container

gardens, if you select varieties

grown on dwarfing rootstocks.

Combination plum trees are

also fairly easy to find—some

even come combined with other

stone fruits, such as peaches and

apricots. Look for plums grafted

on a dwarfing rootstock and be

prepared to prune them yearly for

the best height control.

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium).

Cherry varieties grown on dwarfing

rootstocks, such as Gisela 5 and

3, mean you don’t have to climb a

huge ladder to harvest cherries as

long as you prune them properly.

These trees top out between 10 and

12 ft. tall with a single annual pruning. Cherries

grafted on New Root 1 Zaiger rootstock grow only

6 to 8 ft. tall. As you choose which varieties to

grow, keep in mind that most (but not all) sweet

cherries will need another variety for cross-

pollination, while most tart cherries (P. cerasus)

are self-fertile and don’t require another variety

There are several exceptional genetic dwarf varieties of peaches and

nectarines that do great in containers. This one is growing in a pot with

basil and flowers.

Text Black Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 104^

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 104 5/24/17 1:07 PM

Designing and Planting Your Containers 105

for pollination. Combination cherry trees offer

multiple varieties grafted onto one tree. Almost

all cherry trees require a high number of chill

hours, making them another good fit for northern

gardeners. ‘Syliva’ is an excellent dwarf cherry to

keep on your radar, as it’s great for containers and

is a self-fertile sweet cherry.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum). This

wonderful plant is grown as a small tree or a

bush. It produces delicious fruit and lovely foliage

but grows best in the southern United States and

California, as pomegranates are only hardy down

Dwarf sweet cherries grafted on New Root 1 Zaiger

rootstock reach only 6 to 8 ft. tall, but you’ll need to

protect the fruits from marauding birds with netting.

to about 10°F. Pomegranates are self-fertile and

can be readily pruned to maintain a small stature.

‘Red Silk’ and ‘Parfianka’ are excellent dwarf

varieties that grow great in containers.

Columnar Fruit Trees

If you want to grow even more compact

containerized fruit trees, consider columnar trees.

These straight, vertical trees have extremely short

fruiting branches that stay close to the main trunk.

Currently, apples are the most common columnar

fruit trees, with mature specimens reaching about

8 to 10 ft. tall. Standard columnar apple varieties

include ‘North Pole’™, ‘Golden Sentinel’™, and

‘Scarlet Sentinel’™, as well as a line branded under

the name Urban Apples® from a breeder in the

Czech Republic that includes varieties such as

‘Tasty Red’™, ‘Blushing Delight’™, ‘Golden Treat’™,

and ‘Tangy Green’™.

Dwarf pomegranates like this one do best in southern

climates and other regions where temperatures don’t

drop below 10°F.

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 104 (^) Text Black Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete #175 Dtp: 229 Page: 105
700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 105 5/24/17 1:07 PM