Books: Fruit for the Landscape

I finally decided this year to try my hand again at growing fruit trees, mainly because I don't know anywhere around Cape Cod where you can buy fresh sour cherries or local figs. I loved my fig tree that I had in DC, but it never produced enough for us. So I bought (mail order) a 'Hardy Chicago' fig, figuring if it would survive in Chicago, it would do just fine up here.

So the fig, the cherry tree, and an apricot tree are now in the ground, and we'll see how they do next year.  In a new book,  Growing Fruit Trees: Novel Concepts and Practices for Successful Care and Management (W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011) French authors Jean-Marie Lespinasse and Evelyne Leterme explain that apricots are originally from China and likely were brought to the US with the establishment of early missions in California and Arizona in the early 18th century.  In the east, Thomas Jefferson planted apricot seeds in the 1770's -- seeds he received from an Italian wine merchant. 

This is the book for you if you want producing fruit trees or if you want to know how to design with fruit trees. The authors tell you everything you need to know to cultivate fruit trees successfully, from cultural requirements to pruning, training, successful fruiting and harvesting.  It's comprehensive, easy to understand, and probably the best I've read so far on the subject.

The book does not include citrus trees, but it covers 15 popular fruit and/or nut trees, including hazelnuts, olives, grapes, apples and almonds, quinces and kiwi, and more. The book is filled with more than 300 drawings and photos that clearly illustrate all the techniques you'll need to successfully grow each variety.

An essential volume for designers with clients who wish to have producing fruit and nut trees in their gardens.