Hi Guys,
I am looking to buy some fruit trees (apple, pear, plum and maybe quince). Has anyone got any recommendations on a nursery in Perth?
Thanks,
Chris
Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 2Jul 15, 2011 3:43 pm Dawsons Garden World usually have a really good selection. http://www.dawsonsgardenworld.com.au/default.htm Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 3Jul 20, 2011 1:27 am I would be seriously selective about where and what varieties of fruit trees you select. I take some issue with the varieties sold as mentioned and do with most garden centres. You are in Perth, don't buy fruit trees that require the winter temps of Manjimup or Walpole. You need to select low chill varieties rather than the ones commonly recommended by garden centre staff. Make sure you can purchase the pollinators as well or the whole lot is a waste of money. When it comes to citrus that is an area I'd be particularly selective with. There is a reason why so many citrus around Australia may not fruit. The Citrus Improvement Society is doing its best to stamp out poor standards sold in nurseries and to orchardists. Wandilla Garden centre is considered the best in Perth for fruit trees but there is one other. Huggy, it maybe a fav of yours but I do not concure. Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 4Jul 20, 2011 1:28 am I can not say what Wandilla's citrus is like unless I know who they buy them from so will say for the rest only. Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 5Jul 20, 2011 8:24 am Fu Manchu I would be seriously selective about where and what varieties of fruit trees you select. I take some issue with the varieties sold as mentioned and do with most garden centres. You are in Perth, don't buy fruit trees that require the winter temps of Manjimup or Walpole. You need to select low chill varieties rather than the ones commonly recommended by garden centre staff. Make sure you can purchase the pollinators as well or the whole lot is a waste of money. When it comes to citrus that is an area I'd be particularly selective with. There is a reason why so many citrus around Australia may not fruit. The Citrus Improvement Society is doing its best to stamp out poor standards sold in nurseries and to orchardists. Wandilla Garden centre is considered the best in Perth for fruit trees but there is one other. Huggy, it maybe a fav of yours but I do not concure. Never said it was a fave at all, I nosed about there getting my Bactivate and noticed they have a pretty wide selection - larger than any other nursery I've seen.....never been to Wandilla Garden Centre though, may have to check it out. Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 6Jul 20, 2011 9:42 am Personally I like Daleys (online) for their wide range. Still need to be careful selecting for your environment but lots to choose from. http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/ Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 7Jul 20, 2011 8:21 pm Bit late to order some from here now. But I've ordered 5 different varieties from here: http://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au They have over 90 types of apples. Most on dwarfing root stock. Where to buy fruit trees? 8Jul 20, 2011 10:26 pm Folks it's not about the selection or range but what they sell. If you've ever had a fruit tree that never produced fruit and you did everything under the sun, it might not be your fault Getting fruit trees into WA via online shopping would be a hell of a task and if doable, expensive. Buying trees isnt just about picking something that looks good. Do you need low chill or high chill? Low chill varieties for areas that don't get frosts much and doesn't see regular low temps. Highchill for places that do. I see in nearly every nursery/garden centre, a range of fruit trees that are not suited to local conditions. Not all but enough to say, do your research. Daleys has some excellent info and plants. I do take issue with the forum advice but that falls outside their control more often than not. Does the nursery have the correct pollinators? Are those pollinators suitable for your area, ie low chill or high chill. Do those pollinators flower at similar times of year? Otherwise the fruit can't be pollinated if the pollinating flowers appear 1-2 months apart. (There is a trick that sorts that though) With citrus, there is such a thing as The Citrus Improvement Society. You'd want to hope that the garden centre only buys its citrus from a wholesale grower who is a part of that society. Most garden centres staff won't even know who they get them from let alone if the grower is a certified citrus grower (of sorts) Avoid the temptation to put fertilisers in the hole for the tree. Just humus rich compost mixed evenly with your existing soil. Zeolite and perlite/spongolite is even better and in my work an essential. Sandy soils, add bentonite clay too. In pots, a "certified" organic potting mix rather than a premium mix full of chemicals and synthetic fertilisers. Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 9Jul 21, 2011 9:40 am Can I ask for a little fruit tree advice then Fu? I have built in Harrisdale (the old Forrestdale). I have an east facing limestone wall that I was planning on espaliering 2 or 3 apple trees against. Ideally I wanted dwarf varieties and ideally an eating variety and a cooking variety that could cross pollinate each other ( would they be happy in wicking beds?). I am also planning on 3 raised wicking garden beds orientated north - south (1m x 1m). The first one I planned to have herbs, chillis etc. The second was for vegetables and the third I was considering a dwarf medlar and a dwarf quince and possibly some small herb around the base. Crazy plan or doable with our climate? Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 10Jul 21, 2011 10:57 am Fu Manchu Folks it's not about the selection or range but what they sell. If you've ever had a fruit tree that never produced fruit and you did everything under the sun, it might not be your fault Getting fruit trees into WA via online shopping would be a hell of a task and if doable, expensive. Fu There is a place in Perth that sells the Daleys range and will do special orders if requested to. I can look it up if anyone is interested. As for not just being only about selection, this is true in some sense but if there is a greater selection some of your criteria below is usually easier to achieve. eg: Do you need low chill or high chill? Does the nursery have the correct pollinators? Are those pollinators suitable for your area, ie low chill or high chill. Do those pollinators flower at similar times of year? Fu Manchu Daleys has some excellent info and plants. I do take issue with the forum advice but that falls outside their control more often than not. True but they do sell some great books including my personal bible: Book The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia by Louis Glowinski Fu Manchu Avoid the temptation to put fertilisers in the hole for the tree. Just humus rich compost mixed evenly with your existing soil. Zeolite and perlite/spongolite is even better and in my work an essential. Sandy soils, add bentonite clay too. My personal experience is that digging a big hole and filling with friable soil/ potting mix etc is not a good idea in hard or clay soils. The hole ends up acting more like a pot and the roots don't manage to escape - kinda like pot bound. Better to just use the local hard/clay soil and maybe mix in a handful or 2 of potting mix to help it survive long enough. One last thing I wanted to mention is that it is more than just about you climate according to a map. Your suburb may be colder or hotter, wetter or dryer, the position in your garden matters, something planted in front of a large sunny wall can be something that would never be recommended for the general area. You can grow avocado in Melbourne this way but they will fail miserably elsewhere in the garden. This is why nurseries make avocados available in Melbourne but they should be advising people they sell to - good ones do. Cross pollinators planted too far from each other or where the wind blows the wrong way may perform sub optimally especially if there is a lack of bees and bugs around. There is no simple magic formula, you need to work it out for yourself. Where to buy fruit trees? 11Jul 21, 2011 7:30 pm I absolutely agree for the most part. We are now teaching new horts and the public that shallower wider areas are the go rather than deeper holes full of alsorts. After all it's only the top 300-400mm that all the action happens. The roots need good friable soil to grow outwards into rather than staying cramped in a tiny ball of rich soil. Potting mixes in soils are not the flashest idea as mentioned. Soil amendments are rarely advised in old school planting info but as water, fert, and enviro impacts are more in focus they are now more relative now than before. In this thread, I just touched on the topic of planting without elaborating on the detail as that's how most think. For readers wanting to learn more about planting you can do a search using my user name and keyword planting. Good friends of mine are among some of Australias leading authorities on fruit trees and orchards. It's discussions with them and at seminars that the points I raise (again that I only touched on) ate very topical among the world these guys live. Overall I have left most of the detail out. When large numbers of plants can be ordered by one nursery from the east it becomes economically viable. Individually or very small numbers becomes exy. There is a core group of fruit growers and consultants who are highly critical of what is available in garden centres and sold to garden centres as well as advice commonly handed out. There are some garden centres that are excellent. The op asked about nurseries specific to Perth, and that is something my local WA knowledge is well researched on. Great book. Posting on the phone sucks. Where to buy fruit trees? 12Jul 21, 2011 7:35 pm Turning out to be a good topic. For west Aussies in Perth or near by, check the thread with Peter Coppin's, hands on, fruit growing work shops. Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 13Jul 21, 2011 11:29 pm Thanks for the advice all. I'll check out Wandilla and maybe check with our local Dawsons also. There has been mention of another place called Taz1 trees. Ever heard of them or their range. I was fortunate enough to hear from Peter Coppin on another forum regarding trees that would be suitable to grow in Cordon form on (or almost on a 45 degree angle). He was the one who mentioned the fruiting trees that would do well. He left me some advice, but I can't seem to load the website any longer. Was it www.greatgardens.info ? Anyway, thanks for the advice, and keep it coming. Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 14Jul 22, 2011 12:22 am They are building a new website which will be back up bigger and better than its previous form Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 15Jul 22, 2011 1:33 am Try http://greatgardens.ning.com/ for great gardens info and forum. Same team, same forum, called Beyond Gardens. Also have a look at this thread - Peter Coppin's reply has a list of trees which he has marked as suitable/not suitable for perth: http://greatgardens.ning.com/forum/topi ... selections Re: Where to buy fruit trees? 16Jul 22, 2011 11:40 pm Wandering Try http://greatgardens.ning.com/ for great gardens info and forum. Same team, same forum, called Beyond Gardens. Also have a look at this thread - Peter Coppin's reply has a list of trees which he has marked as suitable/not suitable for perth: http://greatgardens.ning.com/forum/topi ... selections Excellent. Thanks for the reference. It has just occurred to me, that I should probably not be promoting other forums on this forum. I apologise if I broke some terms or conditions. For the record, the recommended fruit trees for Perth that I received were; Suggested varieties (in order of my personal preference) are: Apples: Sundowner, Pink Lady, Pinkabelle, Lady Williams, Gala Pears: Hood, Packham and some of the Italian red pears Plums: Black amber, Amber jewell Thanks again, Chris Where to buy fruit trees? 17Jul 22, 2011 11:50 pm No probs with that particular forum. The two forums work very well together. The info is of the highest standards. Where to buy fruit trees? 18Jul 22, 2011 11:54 pm Oh and for the record Great Gardens and Beyond Gardens are two different yet very closely related enterprises. Both delivering the same message and the same one that I donate so much of my time and knowledge to here at Forum.homeone A survey must’ve completed by a certified surveyor. This form part of every DA requirement 3 223610 Looking at some of the designs on websites, they are all selling very similar products. I get that you want something stylish. It's worth looking for search terms like SaveH2O… 2 7006 |