All Zone 5 (or hardier) Plants
All Zone 5 (or hardier) Plants
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488 products
Why We Grow It: These apples feature red blush over green skin and have a rather flattened appearance. They have an intense pineapple flavour that is a pleasant mix of sweet and sharp, and are also crisp, juicy, and high in Vitamin C. As one can imagine, they are great for fresh eating but can also be used for cooking. The tree is vigorous and produces good crops, but does tend to bear fruit biennially. It is also one of more particular trees, being more sensitive to late frosts and drought conditions.
Species: Prunus avium
History: These seedlings are grown from Hedelfingen seeds from sweet cherries sourced in Ontario. First discovered in Germany in 1850, Hedelfingen has become a popular variety in Ontario.
Why We Grow It: Seedling fruit trees are a great way to add some diversity and mystery to your garden or orchard! The parent variety, Hedelfingen, is well-regarded due to its great flavour and later bloom time which makes it more tolerant of late spring frosts.
Please Note: Since sweet cherries tend to stay true to type more than apples, these seedlings will likely bear a strong resemblance to their parent variety. However, any specific information listed on this page should be taken with a grain of salt as there may be some variation from the parent tree.
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: Sambucus canadensis
History: York was developed at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York in 1964. It is a cross between the varieties Adams 2 and Ezyoff.
Why We Grow It: York is known for producing exceptionally large berries that are quite flavourful. This variety is also quite productive, a good choice for fans of these delightful dark purple berries! Eating the raw elderberries can cause adverse reactions so it is recommended that you cook them first!
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Aronia melanocarpa
History: McKenzie was created by the USDA who, in 1976, planted several seedlings of the variety to evaluate its performance. It was named 'McKenzie' in honour of its first planting site in North Dakota, possibly named after McKenzie County specifically. The variety was officially released in 2008.
Why We Grow It: McKenzie boasts vigorous growth and good production, reliably producing firm blue-black fruit that is tart with an earthy taste. The berry clusters are easy to pick and have a wide range of uses!
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
Species: Vaccinium corymbosum
History: Chandler higbush blueberry was introduced in 1995. It originated in Corvallis, Oregon where it was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service agency's (USDA-ARS) Blueberry Breeding Program.
Why We Grow It: Chandler produces the largest blueberries in the commercial industry, and plenty of them! They are sweet and juicy despite their size and can be harvested over a long period of time. 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: Ping Guo Li (translated from Mandarin as 'apple pear') was developed by Jilin Sheng in China and likely named for its round, apple-like shape. While its exact age is unknown, this pear is considered to be an old variety.
Why We Grow It: This Asian pear is nothing but sweet and juicy melting goodness! Its flavour is quite sweet and is comparable to that of a European pear. So far it has performed very well in our test orchard and displays good cold-hardiness.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Cox's Orange Pippin was first grown in England in 1830 and was named after the retired brewer and horticulturalist who first bred it, Richard Cox. Its excellent flavour has earned it a spot as one of the best fresh eating apples in England where it has remained popular ever since. In fact, it still accounts for over 50% of fresh eating apples grown in the UK today. Despite its reputation, it is seldom grown commercially in North America due to its precocious nature and susceptibility to many common apple diseases.
Why We Grow It: This apple's reputation is hard to ignore with its sweet, subtle, aromatic flavour and attractive orange-red skin. Not only is it good for fresh eating, it is also popular in cider blends.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Goldrush was bred specifically for scab resistance as part of the collaborative PRI disease-resistant breeding program run by Purdue University, Rutgers University, and the University of Illinois. It was developed in the 1970s and released in 1994. This variety has a complex heritage of Golden Delicious mixed with a cross of several other varieties for their disease resistance.
Why We Grow It: This is arguably the best scab-resistant variety released from the PRI Breeding Program as far as flavour is concerned. The dense, crisp flesh of this yellow apple is full of sugars and flavour. It is distinctly spicy and tart at first but mellows the longer it is in storage. The fruit stores exceptionally well. This truly multi-purpose apple is also great for drying and, unusually for a modern variety, is good in hard cider.
Why We Grow It: Discovery is a slightly sweet apple with noticeable acidity, and under optimal conditions it can have a strawberry flavour. Like many early apples, it is great for sauce. The fruit is on the smaller side and has a flatter shape with greenish-yellow skin overlaid with a bright red blush. The red can sometimes stain the cream-coloured flesh inside, providing some visual appeal. The tree boasts some resistance to scab and although it can take a while to start bearing fruit, once it does it bears quite reliably.
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.
Species: Prunus avium
History: These seedlings are grown from seeds from Sandra Rose sweet cherries sourced in Ontario. Sandra Rose was developed at the Summerland Research and Development Centre in BC.
Why We Grow It: Seedling fruit trees are a great way to add some diversity and mystery to your garden or orchard! Sandra Rose, the parent variety, produces large dark cherries with excellent flavour.
Please Note: Since sweet cherries tend to stay true to type more than apples, these seedlings will likely bear a strong resemblance to their parent variety. However, any specific information listed on this page should be taken with a grain of salt as there may be some variation from the parent tree.
Species: Prunus sp
History: These seedlings are grown from Lombard plum seeds. The parent variety, Lombard, originated in the US in the 1800s.
Why We Grow It: Seedling fruit trees are a great way to add some diversity and mystery to your garden or orchard! Lombard is decent for fresh eating and good for canning and cooking.
Please Note: Since plums tend to stay true to type more than apples, these seedlings will likely bear a strong resemblance to their parent variety. However, any specific information listed on this page should be taken with a grain of salt as there may be some variation from the parent tree.
Species: Lonicera caerulea
History: Indigo Gem was bred by Bob Bors at the University of Saskatchewan as part of the Indigo Series, a series of five varieties that all share the same parents. They were bred sometime in the mid to late 2000s and released around 2010/2011. Indigo Gem is the most productive variety of the series.
Why We Grow It: Indigo Gem produces fairly round berries that are sweeter and smaller than most haskaps, although they still have that characteristic tartness to them! It is considered one of the better options for fresh eating and like other haskaps is also great in baking, making preserves, etc.
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: 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.
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: 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: Stella sweet cherries were developed by the Summerland Research and Development Centre in British Columbia in 1956 by K.O. Lapins, after whom Lapins cherries are named. These cherries were named and released in 1968, becoming the first named variety of self-pollinating sweet cherries. They have since become very popular, especially in the UK, and have been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Why We Grow It: The Royal Horticultural Society was right to commend Stella. These large cherries have skin that is shiny yet extremely dark red, creating a feast for the eyes as well as the mouth! The flesh is medium firm and has a lovely sweet flavour, great for fresh eating as well as canning. Stella is self-pollinating and makes an excellent pollinator for other varieties.
Species: Liriodendron tulipfera
History: Tulip Trees are native to southern Ontario and the eastern United States. The wood of these trees has been used by indigenous peoples to make dugout canoes and to make furniture and cabinets. It is the state tree of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana and George Washington planted some at his home at Mount Vernon in 1758 which are still standing today.
Why We Grow It: These fast growing trees are all around rather wonderful. Their oddly shaped leaves resemble a cartoonish cat head and in the spring and summer the trees bloom with greenish-yellow and orange tulip-like flowers. The flowers and later the seeds they produce are excellent sources of food for various animals.
History: Delbarestivale was developed by Delbard, a nursery in France, in the 1950s. Likely named as a portmanteau of 'Delbard' and 'estivale' (translated from French as 'summer') due to its early ripening time, this variety goes by many other names including Delcorf, Monidel, Dalili, and Ambassy. It was bred in an attempt to create an improved version of Golden Delicious. Although not quite as popular as Golden Delicious, it is still grown commercially in parts of France and England and the Royal Horticultural Society awarded it the Award of Garden Merit in 1998.
Why We Grow It: This French apple is very sweet but balanced nicely with a sharp flavour. The flesh is aromatic and crisp and the skin is a lovely, stripey bi-colour with reddish streaks overlaying green. The apples store quite well for an early-ripening variety, although they do tend to bruise easily.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Toka is a hybrid of an American plum (Prunus americana) and a Japanese plum (Prunus salicina) that was created by Dr. N.E. Hansen who is known for his extensive career in developing cold hardy plant varieties. He developed Toka at the South Dakota Experiment Station and introduced it in 1911. It is unclear what 'Toka' translates to in English but 'toka' can mean 'etc/among other things' or 'river crossing' in Japanese
Why We Grow It: Toka is also known as Bubblegum plum due to its flavour and smell which bears an uncanny resemblance to bubblegum. These plums are incredibly aromatic, and will fill your kitchen with their perfumed scent as they sit out to ripen. The semi-clingstone fruit features deep red skin and bright yellow flesh that is firm but juicy. It is good for fresh eating or preserving.
Available only for pick-up at nursery.
History: Novamac apples were developed at the AAFC Kentville Research and Development Centre in Nova Scotia and introduced in 1978.
Why We Grow It: Novamac is a variety that definitely deserved more attention. They are generally disease resistant and have proven to be very easy to grow in our test orchard where they are performing well. This apple has a nice vibrant tang but also lots of sweetness and notes of berry. The flesh is firmer than its namesake McIntosh, which it is descended from.
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!
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: 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.