Hi Carol,

We have very few native fruit trees, and the bulk of "conventional" fruits (apple, peach, pear, cherry, etc.) that are non-native require high maintenance to grow well and produce reliable harvests. This usually involves regular pesticide use, organic or otherwise; if not maintained as intensely, expect periodic crop failures and potentially even tree dieback depending on the severity of the pest or disease issue that may arise. We mention this not to dash your hopes but to make you aware of the challenge of cultivating conventional fruits in our area since they are vulnerable to an array of problems. You can delve into our Fruit pages for more information about growing and troubleshooting the various conventional crops if you're curious about what may be involved.

Several less-conventional fruits are fortunately easier to grow here with fewer inputs. Fig (more of a large shrub than a tree here), persimmon, and pawpaw are some examples.

We have native persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) and Asian persimmons (Diospyros kaki) can be grown here as well, but the latter are near the northern edge of their cold tolerance in our area, and some cultivars are more cold-hardy than others. Persimmon trees are either female-flowered or male-flowered, and for the native species, at least one male is needed for pollination for the female trees to set fruit. (There might be wild persimmon in the woods nearby, so it's possible you won't need one.) Female selections of Asian persimmons can fruit without pollination (in which case the fruit will be seedless) or with pollination (in which case the fruit will have seeds), though male selections aren't common on the market since they're usually not needed. There are several cultivars of both native and Asian persimmons which you can find either online at fruit specialty nurseries or in area nursery stores in autumn or spring. American persimmon trees mature larger but generally not very wide in proportion to their height; Asian persimmon trees are more compact, but exact sizes can vary a bit based on cultivar.

Figs are also near the limits of their cold tolerance in our area, but even if a harsh winter kills the top growth partially or entirely, the roots usually survive and resprout, though that could eliminate fruiting for that next year. Some cultivars are more cold-hardy than others, which tend to be the only selections you'd find at local nurseries. If shopping online, be sure to look for the hardiest types.

Pawpaw is a local native that can be fairly abundant in woodlands and while the trees do need cross-pollination to fruit, it's not due to male-female flowering (as their flowers have both parts) but rather that they're not self-fertile. Any two trees grown from seed, as many will be when they are not cultivars, should be compatible pollination partners. If you prefer to grow cultivars, which do exist but are sometimes harder to find, choose either two different cultivars or one cultivar and one wild type seedling for compatibility. Ripe fruits have a very short shelf life but can be processed into recipes akin to banana or the pulp extracted and frozen for later use (don't consume the skin).

Fig should be grown in full sun; they will take a little shade but productivity may decline. Persimmons (both) fruit best in full sun but will also take a bit of shade, especially since our native species is common in the woods (in sunnier clearings or edges, mainly). Pawpaw can tolerate full sun but is best with some shade, and is almost exclusively found as an understory tree in the wild. All need well-drained soil, though among them, the pawpaw will tolerate the most moisture. We don't have firm data on deer preferences for the group, though they rarely browse pawpaw foliage. The main risk with deer and trees is antler rubbing by bucks in the autumn, since they prefer younger trees for this, and the damage to the bark or broken branches can be substantial if the trunks are not shielded.

If fruits are too daunting or undesirable, then you have a wider range of options for decorative flowering shrubs or trees with fragrance. Depending on the minimum and maximum mature size you had in mind, we could offer a few suggestions. Some would be native and others not (though non-invasive, like Koreanspice Viburnum).

Solitary bees nest at particular times of year, so depending on when you put it out, they may not have been ready to use it yet. Many of our native bees are specialists, meaning they rely on specific native plant species or plant groups for their foraging, so planting a diverse range of native species in the yard is one of the best ways to attract them and encourage them to nest in the area. (Blackberries and beebalm are good to have too.) Many native bees are ground-nesting and dig-out nesting tunnels in soil, but we have several that use hollow plant stems (which these houses often mimic) and other nooks and crannies in which to provision nest cells for their young. Since each female sets up nest cells by herself and then leaves when finished (they don't care for the larvae), there will not be a hub of activity at the bee house for very long as you would see with social bees like honey bees. Sealed ends of any chambers indicate a bee has built nest cells inside.

The house can still provide shelter for a range of other small beneficial or harmless insects in the meantime, though, so you can keep it up even if it appears inactive. As you might expect, minimizing pesticide use (including aerial mosquito treatments) in the yard is another good way to preserve whatever native bees are already present. You can explore our blog posts about native bees for more information about habitat preferences, plant use, and other behavioral and diversity information about this large group of pollinators.

Miri

Hi Miri,

Thank you for your very detailed and helpful response to my questions. I greatly appreciate it.

Carol

 

You're welcome.

We have a wooded area in our backyard that got invaded by stilt grass several years ago. I want to plant native plants in this area but when I go to a local nursery, there’s only limited variety of natives. 
Where do you suggest I get these plants?

Hello Carol,

Extension doesn't currently keep track of nursery offerings, nor do we recommend particular businesses, but we can share a couple of resources that do list some regional plant sources for natives (some are web-only and others have physical stores in our area):

• Maryland Native Plant Society - nurseries list
• Mt Cuba Center (a public native plant garden in Delaware) - nurseries list for MD, DE, PA, and NJ

Miri

Hi Carol,

Aphids don't cause serious damage to fruit trees and don't necessitate treatment, though for trees small enough to reach, blasting them off periodically with a garden hose usually gets rid of most of them, and predators tend to start taking care of the rest on their own. If leaves look chewed, that is another culprit; possibly a different insect (many can chew leaves and it's hard to tell which if they are not caught in the act) or maybe even an infection, as dead portions of leaves can fall away or tear apart, looking like insect damage. These are similarly not serious, though, but it will be hard to narrow-down a diagnosis without photos of the symptoms.

You should not need to take any special precautions for winter, though you didn't mention which kind of Persimmon you're growing -- Asian or American. Asian Persimmons are a bit more cold-sensitive if we have a harsh winter, and American Persimmon is perfectly hardy. Hybrid varieties between the two should also be okay as-is. Trees that are accidentally planted too deeply can have problems establishing; did you loosen any tangled roots after removal from the pot? If not, that can cause new trees to struggle. Watering frequency also has an impact on establishment success or opportunistic root infections; Persimmons prefer soil that drains very well, so could be over-watered if not checked before assuming irrigation is needed. Feeling the soil around six inches deep to judge moisture level is a good way to monitor them for watering needs.

At only a year after planting, we would not expect either tree to fruit yet, so this is normal. In fact, any fruits developing on fruit trees that have been in the ground less than three years should be removed early in the season (not long after they've formed) to spare the tree the energy drain ripening them when it should be focused on root growth instead. Other reasons for lack of fruit could be poor pollination due to weather keeping insects grounded or lack of enough pollinators overall (bees in this case), plant stress (tiny still-forming fruits can be shed when plants are stressed), or one of the trees being male, because male trees do not fruit. (The latter example is not as likely if you bought named tree varieties, though, since almost all Persimmons offered for sale are female because gardeners want fruit.)

Miri