I tried it here, but like many others I have heard, I couldn't get any fruit. I hand-pollinized for 2 or 3 years with pollen from my apricots, plums and pluots, and I got 1 or 2 fruit to form a couple of times, but they always dropped before ripening. I finally gave it it someone at a higher altitude, because I have heard it is too warm to form fruit here. So you might have more success. But I will also note that Raintree has said in the last 8 to 10 catalogues that they can't get any fruit either, and I know it snows there because I have been to their headquarters.
If you have money to burn it would be a fun experiment, but don't take it personally if you don't get any fruit either!

Carla in Sac

This apricot comes up every few years here. I only recall one person stating they got fruit from it, and quite a few negatives. For this reason I have not tried it. I am trying Weinberger, a purple-skinned plumcot which tastes pretty much like apricot; we'll see if that fruits.

Scott

Last year I bought a bag of what was called black apricots from a grocery store in NYC just because they looked so unusual I had to try them. Did seem like a cross between plum and cot and the fruit had very dark purple skin. I assumed that it was a Dave Wilson creation and for store-bought quite good- more apricot then plum.

They were probably grown in CA, though, so I'm not looking to try them here until someone else in a similar climate has success. I'm through being trailblazer for likely failures, at least with apricots.

I don't know of anyone growing apricots in Wisconsin, but someone has to be the first! Do you have a healthy supply of bees to pollinate?

Apricots in Wi? They are hardier then peaches. My mom had a huge apricot tree in her yard that bore fruit every other year or so while she lived there. That was during the 90's, warmer then the past few, but still took -25F a few times. That was in La Crosse.

I have 4 different apricots. Tomcot flowered last year, but no fruit set.

POMONA magazine article on Apricots

Here is a link that might be useful: APRICOTS AROUND THE COUNTRY

Thanks everyone for the input. I'm a bit worried that it flowered in CA but didn't produce any fruit. I might try two of the Harrow line of apricots instead. According to the article that aceofspades linked those should do well for me.

One of the hardier type apricots is Montrose. I would like to find a seed source. It is fairly late blooming---- for an apricot, and fair disease resistance too.
Does anyone grow it?

I read where the Black Apricot is sold in gourmet food shops I never thought that it would be hard to grow. I grow Spring Satin plumcot and it is a very easy tree to grow. I assumed 'Black Apricot' was a plumcot so I grafted a scion last season into a asian plum tree. It has dormant flower buds so I'll hand pollinate with both apricots and plums when it blooms in spring.

The Apricot "Montrose" is fairly late blooming, but I don't know if it could survive Wisconsin winters. BTW if anyone can help me locate a source of seeds from a Montrose Apricot, I'd love to grow a few from seeds. A lot of Raintree offerings have not been well-tested in the US....... a trade off for the novelty of his offerings, you take a bigger risk.

So this Topic came around again. I planted Tlor Tsiran Feb 1998 and cut it down 2008. Covered with flowers every spring, not one fruit. My two Puget Gold apricots are much more suited for our climate.

Puget Gold 2007
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Puget Gold 2009
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Eric

Eric, Tlor Tsiran is a plumcot. It probably pollinates with an asian plum and Raintree says it is adapted to colder winter climate. Did you have an asian plum nearby. I've heard the Puget does well in zone 4b, very adaptable and good flavored.

Yes, Methley plum, It's so loaded every year it breaks branches.
I also have a young Shiro, but it was planted a year after cutting down the Tlor.

Methley plum 2007
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Eric

Well, if anyone can help me locate a Montrose, I'd sure like to try it. I am just east of Tacoma WA. We have a good west slope and are above the Puyallup valley 'fog belt' so it is a good site for tree fruits. My best plum so far is an Italian x Damson hybrid, I grew from seed, that is freestone and has a rich flavor.

I have a Tlor-Tsiran in my garden. I know it won't fruit, but it's eye-candy gorgeous in bloom. It has a nice vase shape too. Fast grower.

T