Fruit trees are a beautiful and productive addition to any home landscape. They provide privacy and shade, look beautiful, and can produce large quantities of delicious, edible fruit. Did you know a single mature apple tree can yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year? Fruit trees are some of the best options for long-term, sustainable, and low maintenance growing and can continue to produce fruit for decades. Fort Collins Nursery has one of the largest selections of fruit trees in the region with over 80 varieties of fruit trees including apple, cherry, plum, peach, pear, and crabapple. Our trees are picked for their ability to grow and thrive in our Northern Colorado environment.
With so many fruit trees to choose from, here are a few ideas to get you started:
Honeycrisp Apple
Malus ‘Honeycrisp’
Available on either standard or semi-dwarf root stock, this tree produces a large crop of crisp, sweet fruit that can be over 3” in diameter and ripens in September. Honeycrisp apples are sweet, firm, and tart, making them perfect for eating right off the tree. Honeycrisp trees are known for their hardiness, however some protection from our strong winds is a must. These mid to late season bloomers are not self-pollinating so you’ll need a different apple variety nearby in order for it to produce fruit.
- Height: Standard 15-20 ft. / Semi-dwarf 12-16 ft.
- Width: Standard 15-20 ft. / Semi-dwarf 12-16 ft.
- Water: Moderate
- Bloom: Mid-Season
- Zones: 3-6
Honeycrisp apples were introduced by the University of Minnesota in 1991. They have since been crossed with other apple varieties, creating wonderful hybrids that are also available at Fort Collins Nursery including Sweet Sixteen, KinderKrisp, Frostbite, and Snow Sweet.
Standard Sweet Sixteen Apples
Malus ‘Sweet Sixteen’
Sweet Sixteen apple trees are a vigorous and hardy variety that have great resistance to fireblight. They produce red, medium-sized fruits that are crisp and juicy. Their wonderful sweet flavor makes them excellent for pies or picking fresh off of the tree. Apple trees are not self-pollinating so you’ll need a different apple variety nearby in order for it to produce fruit.
- Height: 15-20 ft.
- Width: 12-15 ft.
- Water: Average
- Bloom: White/ Spring
- Zones: 4-7
Sweet Cherry Pie Cherry
Prunus ‘Eubank’
The Sweet Cherry Pie cherry tree is a recent sour pie cherry introduction from Wisconsin. Although the fruits are a little tart for fresh eating, they are a fantastic choice for jams, jellies and pies. Sweet Cherry Pie trees are a reliable variety in our area and their compact size makes them a perfect selection for home gardens or small orchards. This tree is self-fertile and does not require another tree to produce fruit.
- Height: 10-15 ft.
- Width: 10-15 ft.
- Water: Moderate
- Bloom: White/ Spring
- Zones: 4-7
Semi-Dwarf Mount Royal Plum
Prunus ‘Mount Royal’
Mount Royal plum trees are a very hardy European Plum developed in Canada. These trees produce high quality, medium-sized fruits with deep blue coloring. The fruits are tender and sweet with juicy yellow flesh. They taste wonderful fresh off the tree, but are also excellent for desserts, jams, and preserves. This tree is self-fertile and does not require another tree to produce fruit.
- Height: 12-16 ft.
- Width: 12-16 ft.
- Water: Moderate
- Bloom: White/ Spring
- Zones: 4-8
Reliance Peach
Prunus ‘Reliance’
Reliance peach trees are one of the hardiest peach varieties available and were bred for northern climates. They produce medium sized freestone fruits with bright yellow flesh, sweet flavor, and a soft and juicy texture. Reliance trees feature pink flowers in spring and ripen in August. This tree is self-pollinating and does not require another tree to produce fruit.
- Height: 12-15 ft.
- Width: 12-15 ft.
- Water: Average
- Bloom: Pink/ Spring
- Zones: 4-8
*While not a tree, we also have several varieties of cold hardy bush cherries that we highly recommend. Their smaller size makes them perfect for smaller spaces and they do really well in our climate. Bush cherries begin producing fruit sooner than the tree forms and the fruits vary in flavor from tart to sweet depending on the variety. This year we are carrying Romeo, Juliette, and Crimson Passion varieties.
Originally published on March 1st, 2019. Updated on March 1st, 2024.