All Zone 5 (or Hardier) Plants

History: Mutsu apples (aka Crispin) were developed in the 1930s at the Aomori Apple Experiment Station in Japan as a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo apples, the same parentage as its sister apple Shizuka. This variety was named after Mutsu Province which was the previous name for the area where it was grown and released in 1949.

Why We Grow It: Mutsu apples have a lot going for them. They have a delicious sweet-tart flavour which is great for fresh eating and the golden yellow skin is quite attractive. The fruit itself is very large and keeps its shaped when cooked, making it an excellent choice for baking. The apples even store well, lasting all winter.

History: Hedelfingen cherries were discovered in Germany around 1850. The variety was named for Hedelfingen, the area where it was found. They were introduced to England in 1907 and are still grown commonly in Europe and North America. 

Why We Grow It: This is an excellent quality sweet cherry that is very popular in Ontario. The fruit is dark red in colour with faint speckles, softer flesh, a pleasant juiciness, and a great taste. The trees begin to bear at a young age, the fruit is resistant to cracking, and the blossoms are tolerant of frost. 

A recommendation from one of our wonderful customers: Save the pits! Chef Sam advises infusing sweet cherry pits in whiskey for an alluring, aromatic, almond flavoured drink!

Species: Lonicera caerulea

History: Boreal Beast 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. Boreal Beast was rated very highly for flavour in the breeding program. Named after Beauty and the Beast, Boreal Beast was intended to be the pollination partner for Boreal Beauty but in practice it has been found that their pollination times don't quite overlap.

Why We Grow It: Boreal Beast is noted for its excellent flavour with a great aroma and pleasant aftertaste. The shrub itself is quite vigorous and sturdy, and produces good-sized crops of delicious medium-sized berries.

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.

History: Calville Blanc d'Hiver was discovered in France and first documented in 1598. It spread to other countries and was even grown by Thomas Jefferson in Monticello.

Why We Grow It: Known for its rather misshapen and lumpy appearance and the odd red splotches on its green skin, this apples exterior belies a strong, sweet-sharp flavour that makes it great for fresh eating, cooking, and cider. Some claim it rivals Bramley's Seedling as one of the best cooking apples with the added benefit that, unlike Bramley's, it holds its shape when baked or cooked. It is also boasts a high Vitamin C content.

History: The history of Quince of Portugal is largely unknown aside from the fact that it was introduced to England in the early 1600s. 

Why We Grow It: This quince is often considered to have the best flavour of all quinces. On top of that, the impressive fruits of this variety can weigh up to 1 lb and are juicier than most other cultivars. When ripe, this quince cooks to a lovely crimson coloured puree. It is best to store the fruit indoors for a couple weeks before eating it. 

History: Canadian Harmony peaches were developed at the Harrow Research and Development Centre in Ontario and released in 1968.

Why We Grow It: In our quest to bring the most cold-hardy peaches to our Canadian growers (you!), we added yet another excellent peach variety to the line-up. With large, freestone fruit of good quality, Canadian Harmony is hard to turn down. It is a great all-around peach that is good for eating, baking, and preserving; just about anything you can do with a peach. It is less suitable for big growers because of soft flesh, but well-suited for the backyard, yielding juicy, flavourful fruit with good sweetness. 

Bare Root Peach Trees
We are very pleased to be able to offer peach trees to our customers. They are both challenging and rewarding plants to grow. However, due to the unique challenges of growing peach trees, and the increased care required for their success, we regrettably cannot offer our standard 90 day guarantee on peaches. Please inspect your peach trees to your satisfaction when you pick them up at the nursery, or immediately upon arrival if they are shipped. For shipped trees, make your claim within 7 days of receipt of the trees. After 7 days of receipt, you will have been deemed to have accepted the trees in as-is condition.

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. 

Species: Vitis sp. (hybrid)

History: Montreal Blues is one of the many varieties created by renowned grape breeder Elmer Swenson in Osceola, Wisconsin, as part of his effort to breed cold hardy grapes suitable for growing in the colder climates of North America. This variety was released in 1998 and in some areas is also known as St. Theresa, named for Saint Therese of Lisieux who was a French nun who planted flowers to show her love of God. 

Why We Grow It: This variety produces large clusters of blue, Concord-like grapes with a nice, mild sweet flavour. They are quite cold hardy and can be made into pies, jams, or juice!

History: Montmorency sour cherries date back over 400 years, originating in the Montmorency Valley in France. From there they spread to England and eventually to North America where they are the most commonly grown sour cherry by far. Products that contain sour cherries are almost guaranteed to use this variety.

Why We Grow It: It's hard to ignore such a classic and beloved sour cherry. Montmorency produces bright red cherries that are perfect for making cherry pie, preserves, and jams. Montmorency is an amarelle cherry.

 Check our our blog post with some tasty sour cherry recipes!

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. 

History: Royal Gala is a natural sport (mutation) of the Gala apple that was patented by Stark Bro's Nurseries in 1977. It boasts a deeper red colouring than the original Gala which makes it more visually appealing. In New Zealand, where the Gala apple originated, it has been almost entirely replaced by the Royal Gala in commercial growing operations.

Why We Grow It: Like the Gala apple, Royal Gala is popular for a reason. It is juicy and crisp with a sweet flavour and the fruit stores quite well.

Species: Cercis canadensis

History: Native to the eastern United States and parts of central Mexico, this tree may have once been native to southern Ontario but it is no longer found here naturally. It is still a fairly common sight since it has been widely planted as an ornamental tree due to its gorgeous profusion of pink flowers. The flowers and seeds have traditionally been eaten by indigenous peoples and people still enjoy them fresh or fried today, while some use the green twigs for seasoning.

Why We Grow It: This native tree grows well in any soil type, and puts on a show stopping bloom every spring producing millions of edible citrusy flowers. The pods it produces are edible too, and are best enjoyed when the young pods are sauteed or fried. The heart-shaped leaves add another level of appeal to the tree even when it is not flowering.

Why We Grow It: This crisp, sweet apple is great for fresh eating and has bright red skin. It tends to begin bearing at a young age and is relatively diseases resistant.

Species: Cydonia oblonga

History: The seedlings were sprouted from seeds sourced from Ontario.

Why We Grow It: By growing quince from seeds in our area, we hope these seedlings will be a little more cold hardy. Like all quince, the fruit from your seedlings are best used for cooking, baking, and preserving since the intense, tart flavour is a bit much when eaten fresh.

We have seedlings of the following varieties:

• Ernie's Favourite - A favourite from a homestead in Mt. Pleasant that has produced fruit for decades. It performs well in our climate.
• Quince Seedling - The seedlings were sprouted from seeds sourced from an old mother tree on a local farm. The previous owners have enjoyed the fruit for generations, proving that this is a nice, reliable variety.

History: Pristine is another variety that was developed through the collaborative PRI disease-resistant breeding program run by Purdue University, Rutgers University, and the University of Illinois. It was introduced in 1994.

Why We Grow It: The program was successful with this apple which boasts a decent disease resistance, and performs very well in our orchard. The fruit is an attractive yellow-gold colour with a pink blush where the sun hits it, and the flesh is dense and white. It has a refreshing, sharp flavour and is good for fresh eating if you enjoy a good tart apple! Unlike many early season apples, it has a higher sugar content and stores decently well.

2026/2027 Staff Favourite

Chestnut is Steph's favourite this year! When reflecting on it, Steph said, “Every year I seem to discover a new (old) apple to marvel over, and most recently, Chestnut has stolen my heart. An unassuming little fruit with a unique netting of russet over its cheery yellow-blushing-red skin. Bite in and enjoy the classic nutty, sweet-tart russet taste with crunchy dense flesh at least a month before most other russets are ripe. In sum, an excellent early season russet worthy of any orchard.” 

All Staff Favourites are 20% off. The Staff Favourite Discount cannot be combined with other quantity discounts.

History: Chestnut crabapples were bred at the University of Minnesota in 1949. They are one of about thirty varieties that have been produced by the university's breeding program since it started in 1888. 

Why We Grow It: The rosy-red Chestnut crabapple produces fruit that is unusually large for a crabapple with a nutty taste. Unlike other crabapples, it is sweet enough to eat fresh and can be used in cider while still being good for traditional crabapple recipes such as making jellies. 

History: Harrow Delight, as the name suggests, was introduced from the pear breeding program at the Harrow Research and Development Center in Ontario in 1981. It is a cross between Bartlett and Purdue 80-51, making it a sibling to Harrow Sweet. 

Why We Grow It: Harrow Delight pears are green with red blush when mature. They have sweet, juicy flesh and keep about a month. The tree boasts resistance to both fireblight and scab, making it a good option for anyone looking for a more disease resistant pear variety. 

History: Tsugaru is another apple that was created at the Aomori Apple Experiment Station in Japan and released in 1975. It was likely named after Tsugaru, a nearby city, or the Tsugaru samurai clan that controlled the area during the Edo period. This variety is quite popular in Japan and represents the sweetness that is coveted among Japanese apple fans. 

Why We Grow It: If you love sweet apples, you need to give Tsugaru a try. It has a very mild flavour with virtually no acid. It is performing very well in our test orchard, providing an abundance of nice clean fruit. It is one of Steph's favourites.

Species: Morus sp

History: Our mulberry seedlings are grown from local seed, but they most closely resemble the native red mulberry, Morus rubra, which are considered endangered in Canada. Indigenous peoples traditionally use the berries as a food source, the wood for smoking meat, and even made clothes from the inner bark of the young plants. 

Why We Grow It: The delectably sweet berries are easily enjoyed by humans, livestock, and insects alike! Mulberries don't last very long once ripe so the best way to enjoy this summer treat is to grow them yourself!

Species: Rubus sp

History: Chester Thornless was created and released as a collaboration between the Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Station, and Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station. It was first bred in Illinois in 1968 and was selected for its thornless nature and cold hardiness. It was later released in 1985.

Why We Grow It: Chester Thornless is easy to grow and rewarding. It produces a reliable bounty of firm, sweet, juicy blackberries that are great for a wide variety of uses.

Pictured on the left: top: Chester, bottom: Illini Hardy

History: Bramley's Seedling was first planted in the UK in 1809 by Mary Ann Brailsford-Trump and was later named after the butcher who bought the property. Long considered the definitive British cooking apple, Bramley's Seedling is celebrated with its own festival, a plaque, and a commemorative window that was installed on its 200th anniversary. The original tree is still growing where it was planted over 210 years ago.

Why We Grow It: With its strong flavour and acidity, this apple is hard to beat when used for cooking, although the fruit doesn't hold its shape as well as other varieties. The fruit is large, greenish-yellow with orange flush and broad red stripes and store all winter. The trees are quite hardy and heavy croppers.

History: Little is known about the history of Giant of Zagreb aside from the fact that it originated in the former country of Yugoslavia. Its country of origin suggests it was developed some time in the 20th century since the nation only lasted from 1918-1992. It was named for Zagreb, a major Yugoslavian city that is now the capital of Croatia.

Why We Grow It: The fruit of Giant of Zagreb are large with greenish-yellow skin and firm white flesh. The flavour is mild for a quince, although this isn't saying much. For those who have never tasted quince, it is a sour-raspberry flavoured experience not soon forgotten. As the flavour profile suggests, it is best used in baking, jellies, sauces (quince sauce or added to apple sauce), or candied. This is one of the hardiest varieties of quince available.

History: The history of the Seckel pear is somewhat contentious. It was said to have been named after a Mr. Seckel who discovered the variety growing as a sapling near Philadelphia in the late 1700s or early 1800s. Some say it is the only commercial American pear since it was thought to have been a wild seedling but others believe the tree sprouted from a seed left by German immigrants. Either way, this lovely little pear is still grown on a small scale across the States as a specialty fruit.

Why We Grow It: Although it is small in size, this heirloom is popular for eating fresh due to its high quality flavour. The skin is ruddy green with a pronounced red blush and the flesh is very sweet with a spicy flavour, which is why it's sometimes called 'Sugar Pear.' Aside from being excellent for fresh eating, this pear is great canned, pickled, and spiced. As an added bonus, the tree is resistant to fireblight.

Customer Suggestion: One of our wonderful customers shared a recipe for Pickled 'Sickle Pears' (aka Seckel) that had been passed down from his great grandmother. We haven't tested it out yet, but Seckel pears, brown sugar, cinnamon, vinegar and cloves, cooked and marinated, then pickled sounds very intriguing! Thanks for sharing David!

History: Fireside apples originated in 1943 from a breeding program at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. They are one of nearly 30 varieties that have been introduced by the university's breeding program since it began in 1888.

Why We Grow It: Fireside stands as an icon of toughness in the world of apples, thriving in cold northern areas. But don’t let this image fool you—Fireside has a warm heart! The flesh is amazingly sweet and very juicy.

History: Grimes Golden was discovered on the Grimes farm in what is now West Virginia in 1832. Local legend claims that it grew from a seed planted by John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. After its discovery, it was widely planted up until the 1930s when it became supplanted by more popular varieties such as its (likely) descendant, Golden Delicious. 

Why We Grow It: Although less popular now than Golden Delicious, many claim that Grimes Golden has a superior flavour: sweeter and with a hint of spice. The fruit is great for fresh eating and making cider, and it stores quite well. The tree is moderately resistant to fire blight and mildew.  

History: Early Golden originated in Fonthill, Ontario where it was discovered as a chance seedling. It has since become the most popular yellow plum in Ontario. Despite its Canadian origin, this is actually a Japanese plum. 

Why We Grow It: Early Golden is a very popular Japanese freestone plum. The medium-sized fruit is very sweet with tangy yellow skin that gets a cheery red blush where the sun hits it. Medium-sized. The tree is vigorous and has a low susceptibility to black knot, although it requires careful thinning or else it will tend to bear crops every other year.

History: Golden Spice was developed by the University of Minnesota and introduced in 1949. It has Ussurian pear (Pyrus ussuriensis) heritage, a separate species from standard European pears (Pyrus communis).

Why We Grow It: Golden Spice is a Ussurian variety with excellent cold-hardiness. The fruit is small and yellow with a sweet, spicy flavour. It is resistant to fireblight.

History: Dabinetts are an English cider apple named after William Dabinett who happened to find this variety growing in a hedge in the early 1900s. Since then the apple has become quite popular for use in making cider.

Why We Grow It: These smallish apples with speckled red skin produce a high-quality juice which can be used in single-variety ciders or blends. Dabinetts are classified as a bittersweet, are very resistant to scab, and are a reliable cropper.

2026/2027 Staff Favourite

Becker currants are Jenni's favourite this year! In her words: “What I enjoy most is turning these currants into a homemade cordial. Their bold, tangy taste creates a rich syrup that captures the essence of summer. Mixed with chilled bubbly water, the cordial becomes an incredibly refreshing drink—crisp, lightly sweet, and bursting with distinctive flavour. It's simple to make and super packed with Vitamin C which helps boost your immune system, reduce inflammation, and support heart health. For me, Becker red currants represent a way of preserving something delicious, and they transform an ordinary glass of sparkling water into a refreshing treat!”

All Staff Favourites are 20% off. The Staff Favourite Discount cannot be combined with other quantity discounts.

Species: Ribes rubrum

History: These red currants come from the Becker family homestead near Wellesley, Ontario where we are located. This is a great way to try something truly local!

Why We Grow It: In our experience, Becker red currants are reliable and productive. The fruit produced by Becker red currants are larger than those produced by Red Lake and make a wonderful juice. They can also be used for cooking and baking, such as the tarts made by Steph that are pictured here!