All Zone 3 (or hardier) Plants
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155 products
History: Whitney crabapples were grown from seed by nurseryman A.R. Whitney around 1865 at Whitney Nursery in Illinois, US. It became popular for its excellent cold hardiness and productivity and in the 1900s the state of Montana recommended it as one of the best crabapple varieties to grow.
Why We Grow It: These large (for a crabapple) yellow and red apples boast a sweet-sharp flavour with some astringency and juicy, crispy flesh. They are a truly multipurpose fruit and can be eaten fresh (if you like some astringency to your apple) or used for cooking, sauce, cider, and jelly. The trees are very cold hardy and boast good disease resistance as well.
History: Brown's Apple was discovered in Devon, UK, in the early 1900s and is considered a traditional English cider apple. It remains quite popular in the area.
Why We Grow It: This traditional variety boasts cold-hardiness and a resistance to scab. It is great for making cider thanks to being simultaneously high in both acid and sugar, an uncommon feature in most apples. Brown's Apple presses to a fragrant, vintage quality juice.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Rubus sp.
History: Nova red raspberries were developed at the AAFC Research and Development Centre in Kentville, Nova Scotia as part of a breeding program. They were bred as a cross between Southland and Boyne raspberries and released in 1981.
Why We Grow It: These nearly thornless canes bear a plentiful yield of bright red, large-sized berries. The finer textured fruit is less crumbly and has a bold flavour. Nova red raspberries are very hardy and are summer-bearing in colder climates and ever-bearing in warmer ones!
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Rubus sp
History: These red raspberries were grown by our great-grandmother and have been passed down through the family.
Why We Grow It: We might be a little biased, but we think they have superior flavour! The fruit is very uniform, not crumbly, and holds its shape well fresh or frozen.
A note on the "Grandma" Series: Inspired by Ken's 'Grandma Ethel Black currant', we decided to curate our own repertoire of random (may be a cultivar from long ago, or a favoured seedling) berries that have become family favourites! Check out our tried-n-true rhubarb and gooseberries in addition to the currants and raspberries.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Lonicera caerulea
History: Aurora haskap was developed at the University of Saskatchewan. After a decade of breeding and trials, it was released in 2012. It was originally selected as a pollinator for Borealis haskap but its superior flavour and greater productivity compared to other varieties quickly made it more popular.
Why We Grow It: A sweetly flavoured favourite! Aurora tastes like a cross between a raspberry and a blueberry, with a satisfying chewy texture. The deep blue fruit are 3 cm long and juicy. Allow to sit out a few days after picking for optimally sweet fruit.
Species: Helianthus tuberosus, Sunchokes are also known as Jerusalem Artichokes or J Chokes
History: Little is known about the origins of Clearwater aside from the fact that it originated in Maine, possibly as a wild plant found in 1988.
Why We Grow It: Clearwater produces smooth, white tubers with a mild flavour that some say borders on sweet. This is a productive variety and the smoothness of the tubers generally makes them easier to clean. Sunchokes can be prepared and eaten in much the same way potatoes can, making them a very versatile food.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Lonicera caerulea
History: Little is known about the origins of Honey Gin aside from the fact it originated in Russia.
Why We Grow It: This variety boasts a unique sweet flavour with hints of smoked plum. Honey Gin's berries are 2cm long and deep blue and juicy. They can be used in a wide variety of ways such as fresh eating or cooking but are generally noted for their excellence in wine, gin, and vodka production.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Summercrisp pears were developed by the University of Minnesota in an effort to create a cold hardy pear. They were successful in creating a hardy and delicious pear, releasing the variety in 1985. Its name is derived from the fact it ripens in summer (very early for a pear!) and that it is great right off the tree when still crisp.
Why We Grow It: Summercrisp performs amazingly in our test orchard, producing lots of freckled beauties that ripen uniformly and hang well on the tree. This early cold-hardy pear has a really sweet, pleasant flavour and is not gritty or dry. The fruit are average-sized with yellow skin and red blush. For optimal eating they should be picked before fully ripe and stored in the fridge until eating. This variety deserves to be more widely planted.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Ribes rubrum
History: Although there appears to be little information on its origins, we know Rovada was bred in the Netherlands and is the top commercial variety in Europe. Some even say it is the #1 variety in the world!
Why We Grow It: Rovada has its reputation for a reason! It is known for producing abundant clusters of large, bright red berries that are eye-catching and easy to pick. The berries are good for fresh eating since they are sweeter than other currants and great for making jams, pies, and more. The bush itself is resistant to powdery mildew and quite cold hardy.
Species: Helianthus tuberosus, Sunchokes are also known as Jerusalem Artichokes or J Chokes
History: Stampede apparently originated on a reserve in northern Ontario where indigenous peoples had been cross-breeding the earliest flowering sunchokes they could find. They succeeded with Stampede which is an early flowering and ripening variety. In 1978, only two tubers were sent to Johnny's Selected Seeds in Maine, producing enough tubers by the end of the year that the nursery was able to introduce the new variety commercially in 1979.
Why We Grow It: Stampede is an extremely productive variety and produces relatively large, if somewhat knobby, white tubers. Like other sunchokes, Stampede can be prepared and eaten in a variety of ways, similar to the many ways you can use a potato! The early flowering and ripening time of this variety is great for anyone with a limited growing season.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Rheum sp
History: Zack's grandma Barbara-Anne grew this variety on her homestead near Poplar Hill. It has been enjoyed throughout the generations in a multitude of crisps, jams, tarts, sauces, and pies (see one of Mouse's pies in the pictures!).
Why We Grow It: Rhubarb is nutritious, incredibly easy to grow, and sports a showy bloom appreciated by both pollinators and humans. This perennial vegetable creates a lush, delicious ground cover and can be used to make a variety of delicious dishes.
A note on the "Grandma" Series: Inspired by Ken's 'Grandma Ethel Black currant', we decided to curate our own repertoire of family favourites grown by our grandmothers! Check out our tried-n-true gooseberries and raspberries in addition to the currants and rhubarb.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Lonicera caerulea
History: Boreal Beauty haskap is part of the Boreal series of haskaps developed by Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan. The goal of the Boreal series is to cross haskaps from Russia, Japan, and the Kuril Islands to create superior cultivars with the best qualities of all three strains. Boreal Beauty was released in early 2017, chosen for its large size, firmness, and good flavour. Its name, a reference to Beauty and the Beast, was meant to be a handy way to remember that Boreal Beast is the recommended for pollination partner for this variety, but in practice unfortunately the two don't overlap quite enough for pollination to be optimal.
Why We Grow It: Boreal Beauty sports large berries that are more oval-shaped and firm than other haskaps while maintaining with good flavour. This variety could show promise for mechanical harvesting. It is also quite vigorous and produces heavy crops.
History: Cortland apples were first bred in 1898 by Cornell University in New York and introduced in 1915. Since then, they have become one of the top fifteen apples in the US and Canada, although the majority are still grown relatively close to the university where they originated. While there are different versions of Cortland available with features such as redder skin, we are happy to offer the original!
Why We Grow It: Especially with older, popular varieties, we are always happy to offer what is, to the best of our knowledge, the original strain. Cortland is a sweet apple with crisp, juicy flesh. It is great for applesauce or drying as the flesh is slow to brown. The fruit keeps until Christmas under home storage conditions although the crispness and flavour does fade over time. This variety crops well annually and makes a good pollinator for others.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Lonicera caerulea
History: Blue Banana was developed by Lidia Stuart of Berries Unlimited, potentially bred from Russian varieties or a cross between Russian and Japanese varieties. The variety is named for the unique shape of the berries and was likely selected for their large size and sweet flavour.
Why We Grow It: Blue Banana is exceptionally sweet compared to other haskap varieties and the flavour has been described as 'smoked strawberry.' These large, sweet berries are good for fresh eating along with cooking, baking, preserving, etc! The bush itself grows quickly and is relatively disease resistant.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Nova Easygro was developed at the AAFC Kentville Research and Development Station in Nova Scotia and introduced in 1971.
Why We Grow It: Living up to its name, Nova Easygro is hard to beat if you're looking for a low-maintenance backyard tree or a clear winner for organic orchards. This variety is resistant to numerous common apple diseases and tastes great. The flavour is pleasant and sweet and the flesh is firm and white with the perfect texture, earning this apple favourable reviews at our tasting event.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Brookgold was developed at the Crop Diversification Centre South in Brooks, Alberta and was named for the town and its golden colour. It was introduced in 1979.
Why We Grow It: Brookgold, like other fruit varieties developed in the prairies, is very cold hardy! Although there is sometimes a trade-off between cold hardiness and fruit quality, this variety still produces small yellow freestone plums that are very sweet, making them great for fresh eating and good for canning and preserving.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Prunus pumila var. besseyi (Western sandcherry) x P. salicina (Japanese Plum)
History: Convoy was released by Boughen Nurseries in Manitoba in 1941. Like other chums, it was bred to produce a fruit with the hardiness of the western sandcherry but the fruit quality of a Japanese plum. Convoy was likely selected for being sweeter than most other chums.
Why We Grow It: Always on the lookout for unique trees, we are happy to offer chums! Convoy is a hardy shrub that produces a clingstone red fruit with yellow flesh. It has a mild sweet flavour that is good for fresh eating but it can also be used for baking, preserving, and canning. The shrub is generally resistant to plum diseases.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Rubus parviflorus
History: Thimbleberries are a native plant closely related to raspberries and blackberries. Cultivated for edible, ornamental, and ecological reasons today, they have also historically been used by indigenous peoples as a source of food and medicine.
Why We Grow It: This is an excellent under-story plant that produces smaller, flatter berries than cultivated raspberries, but with a delicious sweet-tart flavour. Apparently young shoots can be harvested in spring, lightly peeled, and then boiled for an asparagus-like 'vegetable'- we haven't tried this yet, but would love to hear from you if you have! The thornless bush grows up to 7 feet tall, though can be kept smaller with pruning/trellising/tying down. The fruit grows best on 2-3 year old canes unlike raspberries, which makes this an ideal plant for living fences.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Amelanchier alnifolia (aka Western Serviceberry)
History: Martin was grown by Dieter Martin in Saskatchewan. He selected this variety for its large berries and uniform ripening time.
Why We Grow It: Martin produces deep purple berries that are both flavourful and juicy! The berries are on the larger size and ripen at more or less the same time, making them a good choice for mechanized picking.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Lonicera caerulea
History: Boreal Blizzard was developed by Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan as part of the Boreal series of haskaps. The goal of the Boreal series is to cross haskaps from Russia, Japan, and the Kuril Islands to create superior cultivars with the best qualities of all three strains. While Boreal Blizzard is only a cross between Russian and Japanese varieties, it has produced some of the largest berries the breeding program has seen while boasting good flavour!
Why We Grow It: Boreal Blizzard produces exceptionally large berries that are meaty and sweet. This heavy cropper is ideal for U-pick operations and small farms where the larger berries make them more suitable for hand-picking.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Juglans cinerea or hybrid. NOTE: Butternuts are known to hybridize readily with other closely related species so there is no guarantee on whether these seedlings are pure, though the mother trees appear very true to type.
History: Butternut is an endangered tree native to southeastern Canada and the eastern United States where they grow naturally along sunny stream banks with rich, well-draining soil. The nuts have been used as a source of food and made into a butter-like oil by indigenous peoples. The trees have also been used for making syrup, furniture, and woodcarving. 'Butternut' became a derisive term for people living in the southern US since their clothes were dyed using butternuts, and the name later applied to Confederate soldiers. Unfortunately, Butternuts are highly endangered today due to Butternut Canker which has decimated their population within two decades.
Why We Grow It: By planting endangered species, collectively we can help Mother Nature potentially find a naturally resistant variety of Butternut. The nuts are quite similar to other walnuts but with a milder flavour. They can survive in zone 2, but they must be planted somewhere zone 3 or warmer to produce nuts. The sap can be boiled to make walnut syrup, which tastes very similar to maple syrup but with notes of caramel and butterscotch.
Be mindful of the juglones in the in the roots/nut husks, they are toxic to many other species. They require a buffer of about 50'/30m from the edge of the trees canopy for juglone-sensitive plants. This article from The Garden Hoe has a helpful list of plants that tolerate juglones. However there are recent (2019) studies showing healthy soil high in organic matter and mycorrhizal fungi actually reduce the toxicity of juglones suggesting many plants can grow below juglans species in a healthy ecosystem - it will be interesting to see more study done in this area!
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Wolf River was raised from seed by Quebec lumberman William Springer in the latter half of the 19th century. When Springer and his family were moving by wagon to Wisconsin, they bought a bushel of Alexander apples along the way. Upon arriving at their new home, he planted the seeds from said apples along the bank of the Wolf River and the Wolf River apple grew from there. This variety has since garnered a reputation as a good cooking apple and for the incredible size of its fruit.
Why We Grow It: First and foremost, Wolf River is legendary for the huge size of its fruit. The apples can weigh a pound or more and there are stories of pies being made from a single apple. The fruit, green with red blush and stripes, has a sweet and tart flavour that is good for cooking and it holds its shape well when cooked. The tree itself is hardy and relatively disease resistant as well.
Species: Aronia melanocarpa
History: Nero was created in Russia by plant breeder Ivan Michurin in either the late 1800s or early 1900s. Likely selected for its large fruit and sweeter flavour, Nero is still used commercially in Russia to this day.
Why We Grow It: Nero produces ample clusters of dark berries that are somewhat sweeter and less astringent than other aronia varieties, making it more favourable for fresh eating. Like other aronia berries, it is ideal for baking, cooking, jellies, etc. The plant itself is tough and cold hardy.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Ribes nigrum x R. ussuriense
History: Consort was bred by Agriculture Canada at the Ottawa Research Station with the goal of creating a variety resistant to White Pine Rust. Researchers crossed black currants (R. nigrum) and Korean black currants (R. ussuriense) in order to create a resistant variety. They succeeded with the hardy Consort which was introduced in 1952.
Why We Grow It: This productive black currant is quite cold hardy and quite resistant to White Pine Rust. The medium-sized dark berries can be used for a variety of uses including jams, preserves, and baking!
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Inula helenium
History: Elecampane is native from Spain all the way to parts of China and has become naturalized in parts of North America. It has traditionally served a variety of purposes including being used to treat snake and spider bites by the Ancient Greeks, to test if honey has spoiled by the Ancient Romans, as a candied snack in Medieval Europe, and to make absinthe. Throughout its long history it has provided various medicinal uses as well. It also has quite the storied past, with the species name referring to the myth that the plant sprung up from the tears of Helen of Troy while the Celts associated it with fairies and elves.
Why We Grow It: Although not commonly used medicinally today, it still provides some novelty to the garden. The small, yellow flowers resemble those of asters to which it is related. The flowers attract pollinators and the roots, like comfrey, are good at mining nutrients from deeper in the soil.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Cupid is a part of the Romance series of dwarf sour cherry bushes developed and released by the University of Saskatchewan in 2004. Their goal was to create cold-hardy, dwarfing bushes with good quality fruit. Cupid was likely selected for its good flavour and unusually large cherries, the largest in the Romance series.
Why We Grow It: These dark red, cold-hardy cherries have a sweet-tart flavour that can be enjoyed fresh for fans of a more astringent flavour or used for cooking, baking, and preserving. Cupid has the largest cherries of all the dwarf sour cherries in the Romance series and also ripens the latest, helping to extend the season.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Amelanchier alnifolia (aka Western Serviceberry)
History: Northline was developed by John Wallace at Beaverlodge Nursery in Beaverlodge, Alberta during the 1950s. Selected for its large berries and good flavour, Northline was later introduced in 1960.
Why We Grow It: Northline's large, sweet purpley-blue berries are excellent enjoyed fresh! Northline grows in an upright fashion and reaches about 2.5m tall, this making for an ideal u-pick bush. The fragrant showy flowers add aesthetic charm to the bush, along with the deep green foliage which turns fiery orange in the fall. Saskatoons by nature are slow growing, and while they will bear fruit in 3-5 years, it can take up to 15 years for a full crop.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Vaccinium corymbosum
History: Blueray highbush blueberry was introduced in 1941, although there is little other information on its origins. It may have originated in New Jersey where blueberry cultivation began.
Why We Grow It: Blueray produces an abundant crop of very large berries with good flavour. This cold hardy variety is great for home growers! Blueberries are great for baking, for example Steph made some wonderful black currant and blueberry tarts that are pictured here!
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Meteor sour cherries were introduced by the University of Minnesota in 1952 as part of an effort to breed more cold hardy varieties.
Why We Grow It: Winter hardiness, reliable cropping, and a resistance to leaf spot make Meteor a good choice for the backyard. The fruit is bright red with yellow flesh. Meteor is classified as an amarelle type sour cherry, similar to Montmorency. It is excellent for making pie.
Check our our blog post with some tasty sour cherry recipes!
Species: Rubus sp
History: Hardy Black originated in Nova Scotia. As the name implies, the variety was selected for its hardiness along with excellent fruit.
Why We Grow It: This hardy variety produces large, dark berries that are sweet and juicy. To make it even better, they bear fruit over a long period of time which gives you that much more of an opportunity to enjoy these lovely berries.