Garden Talk: Fruit Trees Are Pretty and Practical for All Sized Spaces

Did you know that fruit trees add spectacular color to your yard when in bloom? 

More and more customers every year are adding fruits and berries to their yard. The trees are pretty and practical. Here are some tips and ideas on how to select the best one for your yard: 

* Don't rule out the idea if you have a small space. The majority of most local nurseries fruit trees are dwarf. 

* You can get many varieties that are self pollinating (no need for a second for cross pollinating). Examples of self-pollinating varieties include apples, peaches, apricots, cherries, nectarines and plums.    

* If trying a fruit tree seems a little too much for you, try blueberries. There are more than a dozen very hardy, easy-to-grow blueberries for our area. They take little space and care. Check out Top Hat, which is a variety great for small spaces. It only grows 1- to 2-feet tall and wide.

* If you're looking for something really different... look for Pink Lemonade Blueberry. A deep pink (yes, pink!) blueberry that grows 4-5 feet. This unique blueberry has great fall-colored foliage. Whatever berry you fancy—gooseberries, yellow raspberries, grapes, blackberries or strawberries ( a great groundcover)—start exploring with how to use them in the garden for the beauty in addition to the fruit they produce.

Garden Talk is a weekly column Laurie Curl, of , writes. Got questions about your garden needs? Email them to Laurie at hahnnursery@aol.com, and she'll answer them each week!