I'm in zone 7, coastal NY. I have a Chocolate and coffe cake persimmon now and Saijo would give me all three of the best tasting Persimmon.

Amen on the peaches! I agree.

As far as Apricot would it depend on rootstock? Either way Apricot was toward the bottom of my list..

Apricots bloom very early and frosts usually get the blooms anywhere the weather isn't mild (like out here in CA).

For lower/no maintenance I suggest:

Mulberry Illinois Everbearing

Fig Hardy Chicago

Blueberries Northern Highbush

Best peaches for NY? You would be in good shape with ordering peaches developed by Rutgers University as they are not far from you.

http://njaes.rutgers.edu:8080/pubs/subcategory.asp?cat=3&sub=19

I agree about peaches. In your zone, there are a lot of other better- eating quality peaches than Reliance.

Same go as cherries. If you like tart cherry, Montmerency is a top choice. You may want to consider the Romance cherry series from U of Saskatchewan. This series is sold exclusively at Honeyberry USA and Gurney.

I would choose other European plums over Stanley. If you want self fertile, Castleton or Mount Royal would my choice. There are others but you need two different varieties for cross pollination.

agreed about apricot. Bloom too early. The tree will be fine but you may not get fruit consistently. Varieties such as Tomcot, Zard are known to do well in the east.

Thanks for all the excellent feedback!

Maybe add some berry bushes for more immediate gratification.. service berries, currants, honeyberries, gooseberries etc. Not sure if they are considered trees or shrubs but my vote would be to include some native chickasaw plums. Hardy, tastey and fast to yield.

I have berries, currants and gooseberries. They are indeed hardy and tough. In fact they're the first ones to blossom out. I also have Goumi berries, another super hardy, carefree plant.