What type of crabapple? And other fruit tree suggestions

Hello all,

It's been a while since I posted. I'm working on buying my first home and I'm thrilled that I get to plant my own garden and not be confined (excuse the pun) to containers!

I'd like to plant a flowering crabapple for 4 season interest as well as feeding the birds in the winter. The house I'm looking at has a small lot, less than 1/4 acre, so a dwarf variety would be best. I was also thinking of a Winesap apple tree - when I was a kid my family used to buy Winesaps from an orchard outside town and they were so tasty! Does anyone have a recommendation for a specific crabapple cultivar? I doubt I'd eat the fruit so I'm not that worried about flavor. On second thought, I'd want something tasty to pollinate the Winesap.

Any other ideas for fruit trees that will survive in my neck of the woods? I was considering peach but I've heard they are tricky. I don't mind the pruning but spraying might get annoying. I wish I could grow pawpaw - there were a few in the yard of the house I grew up in. But the house I'm looking at is brand new and doesn't have the shade trees pawpaws need to grow in. What I'd really like is a Japanese flowering cherry. Has anyone else grown one of those?

Thanks for the help!

Deirdre/TL

You might want to consider some Nanking cherries. They are a large bush and have early, prolific flowers. Follow this up with cherries that are sweeter than pie cherries but not as sweet as the normal sweet cherries. Gooseberries, lingonberries, currants and blueberries will all do well in your climate as well. None of these are very large plants.

Scroll down to References. Then click on the link to Iowa Extension Office: Fruit Cultivars for Iowa.for the PDF file. I don't know how old the file is so you may want to contact your local extension office for the latest version.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6068982_fruit-trees-grow-well-iowa.html
Ther useful links:
http://www.extension.org/pages/Backyard_Orchards_in_the_Midwest_Require_Planning_Ahead
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1992/4-8-1992/johnny.html
http://www.iowasource.com/home_garden/garden_fruit_0405.html

You might also consider a semi-dwarf Montmorency pie cherry. I think they max out at 12 feet tall, have dark red bark (pretty even in winter), and are very hardy (I'm at 3800 ft, zone 4/5). We got 3 pie's worth of cherries off of our tree this year, in a year when none of the other fruit trees produced.

Chestnut Crabapples are supposed to be excellent.

Mmmm cherries sound wonderful. I'd love a Japanese flowering cherry but Iowa winters would probably be too much for it to handle. Same with peaches, although my physical therapist has a peach tree that she positiviely neglects. Some years she even gets a bumper crop! Ain't it always the way?

That's when you know you have the right fruit variety for your climate!

We have three young Accolade flowering cherry trees along our driveway. They are a cross between prunus sargentii and prunus subhirtella, and have pale pink semi-double flowers. They are growing well here in zone 4/5, so they might work for you there in Iowa. I think they max out at 25' high x 25' wide.

You can plant a Serviceberry. It can hold its own against a Cherry or Crab when it comes to flowering. It will stay a managable size and produce tons of yummy fruit that resembles a Blueberry. They are extremely cold tolerant and drought tolerant.

I'd go for the dwarf or semi dwarf Montmorency cherry tree. We have a Montmorency cherry orchard about 40 minutes away from us and others travel much further. You will never find these cherries in the store because they're too tender. The cherry picking is wonderful. They're tart, but when they're fully ripe a yummy sweet-sour. They make awesome pies and other desserts. You can get your apple tree in a semi dwarf size too.

I planted some serviceberries this spring because they're good for wildlife and tasty for humans. They came close to being a commercial fruit because they're so good. They can make a 20 foot shrub which may provide shade for your pawpaws. My brother-in-law grows awesome peaches in zone 5. Best of luck to you and congratulations on the low mortgage rate you got.