P.S. Yes, Dawn, I saw your post on Sun, Mar 15, 09 but that only discussed peaches, cherries, etc.

Robert,

I don't have any favorites because I don't attempt to grow apples here in southern OK where every other tree is a cedar tree, so Cedar Apple Rust is a constant issue for apples. If it weren't for the cedars, I'd grow Jonathan, Fuji and Gala and I'd have them on a dwarfing rootstock like M.111 if I had a choice about their rootstock.

The apple varieties commonly recommended for Oklahoma are Jonathan, Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and McLemore. In general, you need two apples (or at least one apple and one crabapple) so they can cross-pollinate one another.

Pears are a different can of worms and that can of worms is fire blight....so I don't grow them here either.

Asian pear varieties that are recommended here, and the varieties they normally pollinate, are:

Chojuro: pollinates 20th Century, Shinseiki and Hosui

Shinko: pollinates Hosui and Shinseiki

Hosui: pollinates 20th Century, Shinseiki and Chojuro

Shinseiki: pollinates 20th Century, Hosui and Chojuro

20th Century: pollinates Shinko and Chojuro

Of the above pears, I think that 20th Century is partially self-fertile, but you'll get a larger crop and a better quality crop if the tree is pollinated by a different variety.

It can be incredibly difficult to grow apples successfully if you have cedar trees nearby, so if I wanted to grow apples, I'd use a good preventive spray program to try to keep the tree from becoming infected with Cedar Apple Rust. By the same token, pears need preventive sprayings to deter fire blight. What tends to happen is that about the time the trees are bearing size, they get fire blight.

I do not know if you'll find many of these trees at local retailers, although your chances are greater at a local or regional store than a national one. (Except, of course, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious trees are usually very easy to find, and some big box stores carry Gala and Fuji).)

A good almost-local retailer is Womack Nursery in DeLeon, Texas....they are my favorite nursery for fruit trees and nut trees and should have at least 3 or 4 from each of the two lists above.

Good luck with your fruit trees.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Womack Nursery

Thanks for the info, Dawn. I've been reading the Texas Ag reports on what pears grow where and found several they recommend that resist the fire blight. (Warren & the less tasty Asian varieties).

I do have cedars along my property line and don't want to cut them down. Plus, my front yard has 4 85+ year old cedars that are towering--I don't want to mess with them, as they have a good start on a possible 400 life span.

Most of the data I am finding seems to be for California and the Pacific coast and Texas. I shall keep digging, as I don't want to waste my time planting something that will fail.

There are 2 very, very old apple trees here on my property and about 3 very, very old pear trees. They are a mess, split numerous times from lightning, split again over the years from ice storms. They are nothing less than tortured looking, but definitely persevering through the decades. Apparently they are all that is left of an orchard planted in the 1920s/1930s or 1940s/1950s...

As I said in my first post, the other apple trees here went south during the ice storm several years back, so they clearly aren't the type that can take the stress.

I'll keep digging.

I am not in your state, but wondered about your growing conditions as compared to mine. I found a site that might be of some help to you.....or not. I don't know how varied soils and climate are there, but it is located almost in direct line with OKC except more easterly in Sallisaw.

It is an heirloom orchard and lists the varieties grown. Many are exactly what are recommended for my area in southwest Missouri.

I can also personally recommend Adams County Nursery in Pa and Miller Bros in Canandaigua, NY. I think I prefer ACN.
ACN, website has lots of good information besides the listing of their trees.

I bought three beautiful trees from them two years ago....still no fruit, but I am hopeful.

I planted Grimes Golden, Yellow Transparent and Albemarle Pippen. I also have the recommended Keifer which is supposed to be practically immune to fireblight, not a good eating pear, but outstanding for pear honey.

I also have two Seckels, and Moonglow also resistant to fireblight.

I want to order a Jonathon type apple and another peach and plum this spring.

Good luck with your decision.

Glenda

Here is a link that might be useful: Heirloom Orchard

Thanks for the pointers, Glenda and Dawn. I'm continuing on my research....my great fault is to study something until I think I know every up and down of it then I commit....and discover things I never anticipated....

Oh, well.

Like I said, I shall continue to study this and I will probably order some trees in December.

Robert