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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.

Species: Cryptotaenia japonica

History: Mitsuba is native to Japan, China, and Korea where it is used as a garnish, seasoning, and as a root vegetable. Mitsuba translates from Japanese as 'three leaves', referring to the way the plant grows leaves in groups of three. In Japan, it is also traditionally used at weddings where the stems of the plant are tied in knots to bring luck and symbolize the lasting relationship. It is also used in Japanese flower arrangement.  

Why We Grow It: Mitsuba has a light, refreshing, vegetal flavour that is reminiscent of parsley and celery. It is also high in calcium and vitamin C. This variety boasts attractive purplish foliage (more green in shade and purple in full sun, see photos) and produces small, pinkish-white star-shaped flowers which add a nice ornamental touch to the garden.  

Species: Salix sp, most likely Salix discolor

History: Pussy willows are native to North America, Europe, and Asia and are culturally significant in all three continents. They are a New Years decoration in China and Iran and have been used in various sects of Christianity for purposes such as replacing palm fronds as a decoration for Palm Sunday in Europe and America where palms do not grow. 

Why We Grow It: A fluffy signifier of spring, these cute willows are also a great early pollen source for bees and have medicinal uses. 

Photo by Huckleberry Hives.

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. 

Looking to graft your own quince trees? We're happy to offer rootstock!

While we have young stool beds growing, in the meantime we import rootstock from Oregon. Aside from the headache (paperwork) of importing and distance, we are very happy with our suppliers quality, and are happy to offer small scale and backyard operations with rootstock. Every August, we prepare a rootstock order for the following spring, and our order comes up on the pool truck with all the other Ontario orders. Because of this, we aren't able to guarantee ship dates with rootstock orders, as we are at the mercy of the nursery and pool truck; the shipment typically comes in March-April.

If you require more than 1000 rootstocks, we recommend importing yourself.

We offer the following rootstock variety:

Provence Quince - Full-Size

• History: Provence Quince is a quince rootstock that was selected by the Institute National de la Recherche Agronomique's Angers station in France. It was released in the 1960s and became especially popular in Europe in the 1980s and 1990s.
• Why We Use It: Provence Quince is easy to propagate and has decent vigour. It is our go-to for grafting quince as well as dwarf pears.
• Canadian Hardiness Zone: 5
• Growth Habits: Full-size, reaches about 10-15ft tall, precocious, produces good crops
• Disease Resistance: Resistant to crown gall, pear decline, and nematodes but somewhat susceptible to fireblight
• Graft Compatibility: Compatible with quince, loquats, and most European pears (except Bartlett, Bosc, Seckel and a few others)

If any varieties you are interested in have sold out, contact us to be added to our Spring 2026 request list!

SCIONWOOD SALES HAVE ENDED FOR SPRING 2025!

If you are interested in scionwood for Spring 2026, either email us with your requests or sign up for restock notifications below.

For those looking to graft heritage and unique quince trees, we are happy to provide scionwood directly from our orchards! See below for our Spring 2025 selection. Descriptions for most varieties can be found on our website and in our catalogue!

ORDERING & SHIPPING SCION: Orders must be placed by January 31st, 2026 for the Spring 2025 season and we require a minimum 25% deposit upfront. We will be shipping all scion orders in the 2nd week of April; for those who order both scion and rootstock/plants, your scion will ship with your other products when all items are ready. 

Due again to the nature of nature, sometimes scions begin budding out early and we want to ensure you receive dormant scionwood that you will have time to graft with. If you need to hold your scionwood dormant until May, you will need to decide how you will do that. It is relatively simple, and you can learn more about storing scionwood at home here. If you are picking up your scion order, we recommend doing so ASAP after you receive your pickup notification via email. 

Size: 12-18" or 30cm+, as available*. If a scion is less than 6" or 15cm, it will be discounted accordingly.

*Since we specialize in so many varieties, they each have a unique growth habit and vigor. Some cultivars will produce long relatively thick scions, and others tend to produce shorter, thin scions (see photos to the left). We will provide the best quality we can, within natural restraints.

Pictured to the left, some of our scionwood and Wayne bundling and labeling pear scions.

If you are interested in scionwood for Spring 2026, please email sales@silvercreeknursery.ca with your wishlist. The exact selection will vary year to year as some varieties mature and we experience different growing conditions. 

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: Rainier sweet cherries were created by Harold Fogle at the Washington State University research center in 1952 and released in 1960. They were named after Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain in the state. Due to their delicate nature, Rainier cherries tend to be a bit more expensive than other commercial varieties. 

Why We Grow It: Rainier are delicious yellow-skinned, yellow-fleshed sweet cherries. Some say they are the best tasting of all yellow cherries, and perhaps the best tasting cherry in general. Along with being great for fresh eating, they are also suitable for uses such as canning.

History: Red Gravenstein is a sport/mutation of the original Gravenstein/Yellow Gravenstein that is a striking bright red. Some say it is also sweeter than the original.

Why We Grow It: With attractive red skin, this is a lovely sport of the original Gravenstein. It is a good quality and sweet early apple that is excellent for home orchards.

History: Redfree is one of the apples developed under the collaborative PRI disease-resistant breeding program run by Purdue University, Rutgers University, and the University of Illinois. It was bred in 1966 and officially introduce to the public in 1980.

Why We Grow It: Redfree apples are great for fresh eating with a pleasant, mildly sweet flavour and softer yet crisp flesh. The fruit does not ripen all at once, allowing a longer eating season. As its name would suggest, it has decent resistance to several common apple diseases.

History: Redhaven peaches were created at Michigan State University's South Haven Research Center as part of the Haven series which began in 1924. Redhaven in particular was developed in the 1930s and released in the 1940s, making it the first commercial red-skinned peach variety. It is now one of the most commonly grown peaches in the world.

Why We Grow It: Redhaven is the most popular peach in North America, its sweet fruit being great for just about anything. The fruit is attractive, juicy, and flavourful and is slow to brown. The flesh does not turn brown when cut as quickly as other varieties. To ensure you can enjoy this great peach as much as possible, the tree begins bearing fruit at a young age, bears heavy crops, and the fruit ripens over a prolonged period of time which requires multiple harvests.

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: Prunus persica

History: These seedlings are grown from Redhaven peach seeds collected from mother trees growing in Ontario. Redhaven was released from Michigan State University in the 1940s and has remained one of the most popular peach varieties in the world.

Why We Grow It: Seedling fruit trees are a great way to add some diversity and mystery to your garden or orchard! We expect that seedling peaches will be even hardier trees than their parents! Redhaven has a stellar reputation due to its excellent flavour and attractive red skin. See our Redhaven product page here for more information.

Please Note: Since peaches 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: Little is known about this variety aside from that it originated in the Brittany region of France in the 1800s. The variety is held in high esteem as a traditional French cider variety. Translated from French, its name means 'Queen of Apples.'

Why We Grow It: Reine des Pommes produces a bold, fragrant flavoured bittersweet cider that is quite unique. It is good both as a single-variety cider and in blends. The tree is fairly vigorous and produces good crops. 

Species: Prunus persica

History: These seedlings are grown from Reliance peach seeds collected from mother trees growing in Ontario. Reliance peaches were developed in a breeding program at the Agricultural Extension Station in New Hampshire and released in 1964.

Why We Grow It: Seedling fruit trees are a great way to add some diversity and mystery to your garden or orchard! We expect that seedling peaches will be even hardier trees than their parents! The parent variety, Reliance, is a cold hardy variety perfect for Canadian growers. The fruit tastes great and can be eaten fresh or used in baking and preserves.

Please Note: Since peaches 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: Rhode Island Greening emerged around 1650 where it was grown from seed by a Mr. Green near Green's End, Rhode Island. Mr. Green owned a tavern and often gave scions from the original tree to his customers, although the tree eventually died from the demand for scionwood. The name was originally the descriptive 'Green's Inn apple from Rhode Island' and later shortened to 'Rhode Island Greening.'* This apple was commonly grown in New York and is still quite common today. 

*Fun fact: The Ontario ghost town Unopark got its name in a similar way. It was originally founded by Richard Parker, Mouse's ancestor, and the name is a shortened version of 'You know the Parkers?'

Why We Grow It: This apple's long-lasting popularity is due to its reputation as perhaps the definitive American pie-making apple. The large, dark-green apple is too tart to be eaten fresh but is great in pies and holds its shape well when cooked. It also produces nicely in our test orchard, producing large, blemish-free fruit despite it's generally poor disease resistance.

History: This heirloom sweet cherry originates from Arkona, Ontario where it was developed and grown by Ed Richter. 

Why We Grow It: As an Ontario bred and raised sweet cherry, Richter cherries are well-suited to growing in our local conditions. We were fortunate to acquire this variety just before the removal of some very old Richter trees.

History: In 1817 Joel Gillet accidentally received Rome Beauty as a seedling in a shipment of nursery trees. His son planted the seedling along the Ohio River in Rome Township. When it began producing lovely red apples, Gillet's cousin started a nursery to propagate and promote it. Originally named Gillet's Seedling, the name was later changed to Rome Beauty in 1832 to honour the township. The original tree collapsed in the 1850s due to bank erosion but the variety still remains popular in the United States today.

Why We Grow It: The fruit is deep red, large, and slightly conical with cream coloured flesh. It has a mild flavour compared to something with more character like a russet, though still an excellent snacking apple. It makes a good cooking apple too since it keeps its shape when cooked. It also stores exceptionally well, lasting all winter long.

History: Romeo dwarf sour cherries are one of several dwarf sour cherries developed and released by the University of Saskatchewan with the goal of creating sour cherries that were cold hardy, shorter in stature, and produced good quality fruit. This initiative began in the 1940s and Romeo was released as part of the Romance series in 2004.

Why We Grow It: Romeo boasts very dark red fruit that has a nice sweet-tart flavour and plenty of juiciness. It has a high flesh to pit ratio, making each cherry just that much more enticing. Although the bush only reaches 7-8ft at maturity, it still yields around 25lb of fruit per plant.        

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

Root Rescue is a certified organic mycorrhizal inoculant designed to set your plants up with a symbiotic relationship that will provide benefits such as establishing new roots more easily, improving nutrient uptake, and increasing disease resistance. This company has been working with the University of Guelph since 2009 to create this  cocktail of 18 species of fungi. This inoculant is suitable for any transplanting a variety of plants including hardwoods and softwoods, bushes, flowers, veggies, etc.

History: Rouville apples were created by R.L. Granger and G.L. Rouselle in 1962 at the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada research centre located in St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. The variety was introduced in 1983.

Why We Grow It: This lovely Quebec cider apple has a wonderful bitter-sweetness that is great for fresh eating and juicing and sauce. It is resistant to scab and has grown very well in our test orchard.

History: Roxbury Russet is the oldest American apple still under cultivation. It was discovered around 1650 in Roxbury, near Boston. These apples were well-known for their long keeping ability and qualities for cider making. They were grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello and are even referenced in one of Nathanial Hawthorne's novels. Due to the russet skin, these apples have never achieved true commercial success but they can still be commonly found in American farmer's markets. 

Why We Grow It: Aside from its historic roots, Roxbury Russet is an excellent all-around apple that can be eaten fresh, used in cooking, and made into a great cider. It has a nice flavour that is sweet and sharp. This variety is also a good choice for organic orchards.

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: 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 pumila var. besseyi (Western sandcherry) x P. salicina (Japanese Plum)

History: Sapa (translated as 'black' from Lakota) was developed at the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station in the US by renowned plant breeder N. E. Hansen and released in 1908. His goal was to create plants hardy enough to grow in the harsh, northern prairies and was one of the first people to start breeding chums. Hansen had a tendency to name his native plant crosses after words from indigenous cultures of the area, choosing the Lakota word for 'black' in this case due to the dark colour of the fruit. 

Why We Grow It: This small, hardy shrub produces purplish fruit with mauve flesh that has a sweet flavour with some tartness. It is good for fresh eating along with a variety of other uses such as cooking, baking, and preserving. It is also quite productive and tends to start bearing fruit at a young age! 

2025 Staff Favourite

Scotia Elderberries are Jenni's favourite this year! In Jenni's opinion “this variety is sweeter and less astringent than others, and I love using it to make elderberry syrup for an immune system boost in the winter months.”

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

Species: Sambucus canadensis

History: Scotia was developed at the Kentville AAFC Research and Development Centre in Nova Scotia. It is a seedling of another variety, Adams 2, and was released by the research station in 1960, alongside the variety Nova. It is grown commercially in Canada.

Why We Grow It: Scotia elderberries ripen early in the season and have the highest sugar content of any named cultivar- though also some of the smallest berries. They are great for a variety of uses such as making juice and wine, baked goods, and even tinctures. Eating the raw elderberries can cause adverse reactions so it is recommended that you cook them first!

Species: Hippophae rhamnoides

History: Sea buckthorn is native to parts of Europe and Asia where it has been a source of food, medicine, and fodder for centuries. These seedlings were grown by us so it will be a bit of a surprise to see what the mature plants are like!

Why We Grow It: If you're looking for a dense, fruiting bush, look no further! These cold-hardy plants are grown from seed, and unlike cultivated varieties it is uncertain whether each seedling is male or female. The nodules on their roots help fix nitrogen into the soil, and the resilient plants are salt tolerant. They can withstand the juglones from walnuts and will reach up to 6 meters tall, forming virtually impermeable thickets if left to their own devices. The berries have a wide range of uses and the leaves can be enjoyed in tea.

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: Sekai Ichi (translated literally from Japanese as 'world number one,' more accurately meaning 'best in the world') was bred at the Prefectural Experiment Station in Aomori, Japan in 1930 and released in 1974. It is a cross between Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. This variety is quite highly regarded in Japan where a single apple can sell for as much as $25 each. Each apple is hand pollinated, washed in honey, and hand-stamped while being inspected to ensure its quality.
 
Why We Grow It: Although we don't get quite that fancy here, Sekai Ichi is nonetheless a great apple if you enjoy sweet, crunchy, apples with no acidity, as is common with Japanese varieties. It is red over greenish skin and very large with an average circumference of 30-45cm and average weight of 2lb. The tree itself is very vigorous although slow to start bearing fruit with a tendency towards biennial bearing.

Photo Credit: Sakurai Midori