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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.

History: Luscious was developed at South Dakota State University as a cross between Ewark and South Dakota 31 in 1954. This goal was to create trees suitable for areas like the Northern Great Plains. Luscious was introduced in 1973, likely selected for its cold-hardiness and excellent flavour. 

Why We Grow It: Luscious produces small to medium yellow fruits with an attractive red blush. The fruit is quite sweet, great for fresh eating and cooking/baking! This is an excellent option for fans of Bartlett who are looking for a versatile and cold hardy variety! Luscious also has value as an ornamental tree, producing white blooms and glossy green leaves that turn a nice red in the fall. 

History: Maiden's Blush was first described in New Jersey in 1817 although it had already been popular in Philadelphia markets for some time. It likely originated around New Jersey in the late 1700s. Maiden's Blush continued to be commonly grown in the southern US through the early 1800s. 

Why We Grow It: Maiden's Blush's uniqueness is still worthy of attention today, its flavour being an interesting mix of citrus-like acidity and sweetness that stand out among other apples. While it is good for fresh eating, particularly after a few weeks off the tree, it is most well known for cooking, baking, and drying due to its non-browning qualities.

History: Major dates back to potentially before the nineteenth century and was commonly grown on farms in Devon and Somerset in England. It remains a traditional English cider variety.

Why We Grow It: Major produces a lovely bittersweet juice that is good both in blends or on its own. It ripens relatively early so it is a nice apple for extending the cider pressing season.

History: While on vacation on Manitoulin Island in 2022, Wayne Kuntze found Manitowaning Pink Heart growing wild in the corner of the Gulyas family's yard and (with permission) brought the apples and some grafting material back to Silver Creek Nursery. The distinct pink colour and the heart shape of the fruit caught his eye, along with the pink flesh inside. Fittingly, he named it Manitowaning Pink Heart after the village where the property was located and the unique appearance of the apple. A truly unique variety, we are happy to officially introduce it in 2023!

Why We Grow It: We love unusual apple varieties and Manitowaning Pink Heart really stands out! With its attractive pink blush over yellow skin, pink flesh, and heart-shaped fruit, this is a one of a kind apple! Despite its sweet appearance, this crabapple is quite tart and tannic. Like other crabapples, this one is best suited for jelly and cider. Its pink flesh may help add a distinctive colouration. 

This is a brand new variety and we're still learning about it! For any avid apple growers who decide to plant these out, feel free to keep us updated on how it grows, what you use the fruit for, etc, so we can provide as much information as possible!

Bloom photo courtesy of Christine Gulyas

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

History: Manor was developed at the Morden Research Station in Manitoba and released in 1945.

Why We Grow It: Manor produces a small plum with skin that is nearly black when ripe and purplish-red flesh. When ripe, the fruit is quite sweet and good for fresh eating! Some prefer to pick it when it is still a little unripe and a bit firmer since it is more astringent and lends itself well to uses such as baking, preserving, and making wine. The shrub stays smaller than other chums but starts bearing fruit at a young age and is known for being quite productive.

History: Little to nothing is known about this apple other than it likely originated in France.

Why We Grow It: Astringent! First apple to produce in Ken's orchard planted 2019 in Beaver Valley. Despite its foggy past, this apple has a lot of potential for a bright future. It produces an aromatic juice and is quite high in tannins, making it a great addition to cider blends. The tree is known for its vigorous growth (notable compared to cider trees in general), high productivity, and general disease resistance which make it definitely worth growing.

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.

Species: Asparagus officinalis

History: The parent of these seedlings, Mary Washington, was introduced by the US Department of Agriculture in California in 1949. It remains one of the most popular varieties of asparagus in the US today. These seedlings may vary from their parents but should bear similar traits!

Why We Grow It: We love offering seedlings as a way to add some diversity to the plants being grown! The parent variety Mary Washington is known for producing large quantities of uniform spears in the spring. They have an excellent nutty and buttery flavour and are known for being resistant to rust. They are hardy against both cold and heat.

2025 Staff Favourite

Mavor Sunchokes are Zack's favourite this year! In his personal experience "the large tuber size of these sunchokes makes them a great potato substitute. They are great fried in beef tallow!”

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

Species: Helianthus tuberosus, Sunchokes are also known as Jerusalem Artichokes or J Chokes

History: Mavor sunchokes are of unknown origin since they were kindly given to us by a local customer named A. Mavor. We were impressed with the large size and flavour of this variety and wanted to make them available to more customers, so are offering them under the name Mavor as thanks to the person who gave them to us.

Why We Grow It: Mavor sunchokes produce large, knobby tubers that are great for cooking in all the same ways you would cook a potato. At least in our soil, some of the tubers produce have a nice reddish tinge to the skin. The tubers store quite well in the fridge. It is a quick growing variety and, like other sunchokes, can spread quite aggressively if left unmanaged.

History: Maypole was developed in 1976 by Plant Breeding International at the East Malling Research Station in the UK as a cross between Wijcik Spur McIntosh and Baskatong. Wijcik Spur McIntosh originated as a mutation discovered on a McIntosh tree in 1962 in the Wijcik Orchards in British Columbia, the branch growing oddly straight with little branching. Several varieties were deliberately bred to have this mutation and now Maypole, released in 1986, is one of six columnar varieties developed at the station. This series of trees is known as Ballerina in the UK but due to that name being unavailable in the US, they are known as Colonnade in North America. 

Why We Grow It: Not only is Maypole unique as a columnar apple, this crabapple also boasts lovely red flesh, bronze coloured leaves, and pretty pink blossoms in the spring. This makes it overall a lovely ornamental tree to have, whether planted in the yard or in a pot. The fruit is also excellent for jelly, apple butter, and cider, adding a red hue to each. It can also be eaten fresh although it tends to be quite acidic with a touch of sweetness.

History: John McIntosh planted several apple seedlings upon settling in Dundela, Ontario. From these, he discovered the famous McIntosh apple as a seedling in his orchard. The family began selling the fruit and grafted McIntosh trees in 1835 and in 1870 it entered commercial production. By the 1900s it was one of the most popular apples in northeastern North America, although its popularity waned over time as varieties such as Gala were introduced. Nonetheless, McIntosh apples still remain some of the most popular in North America. The original tree died in 1906 after being damaged by a house fire and a commemorative plaque marks where it stood. The apple has since been named Canada's national fruit. The Macintosh line of Apple computers was also named after this variety.

Why We Grow It: For fans of Canadian heritage apples in particular, this one is hard to beat. To the best of our knowledge, this is the original strain of McIntosh. Aside from its storied past, McIntosh apples boast soft, slightly tart flesh with high Vitamin C content. It is excellent for fresh eating and making applesauce.

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! While the berries ripen in August, they can hang onto the bush for a couple months and tend to sweeten over time.

Species: Actinidia arguta

History: Meader hardy kiwi likely originated in Korea and was brought back to New Hampshire by botanist Edmund Meader, after whom it was named, in the 1960s. Meader has become one of the most common varieties of hardy kiwi since.

Why We Grow It: Meader is a male hardy kiwi, making it excellent for pollinating female varieties like Geneva and increasing pollination for Issai. Meader produces lovely flowers, but no fruit.

Interested in some more in depth info? Check out this article from the Maine Organic Gardeners and Farmers Association. 

History: Medaille d'Or was raised from a seed by Monsieur Goddard in Rouen, France. In 1873 the apple was awarded a gold medal by the Societe Centrale D’Horticulture de Departement de la Seine Inferieure and in 1884 was brought to England by the Woolhope Naturalist's Field Club where it became established as a classic English cider apple.

Why We Grow It: It is easy to see why this apple was popular in both France and England with its yellow-gold skin and excellent cider qualities. This apple produces a fruity juice with high alcohol content and is very high in tannins. It makes a great single-variety cider.

History: Meigetsu is an Asian pear that originated in Japan. The word 'meigetsu' roughly translates to 'beautiful moon' or 'grand moon.' Its name could also be a shortened version of 'Chushu no Meigetsu,' the Japanese name for the harvest moon in September. 

Why We Grow It: Meigetsu Asian pears are pleasantly sweet with the flavour and aroma being compared to pineapples, watermelon, and butterscotch. The flesh is somewhat softer than other Asian pears, making the texture more akin to that of European pears. 

History: Melba was developed by W.T. Macoun at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa in 1898. In 1924 it was released commercially and three years later received the Silver Wilder Medal from the American Pomological Society. 

Why We Grow It: Melba is a lovely early market apple or backyard tree for making applesauce! The fruit is yellow with crimson flush and the crisp, white skin has a very sweet flavour.

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: Prunus cerasus

History: These Meteor seedlings are grown from seeds we've collected here at Silver Creek Nursery from our own trees! Meteor was introduced from the University of Minnesota in 1952.

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, Meteor, is a reliable, hardy variety that is great for pies. They naturally have a more compact growth habit. For a full description, see our Meteor page here.

Please Note: Since sour 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: Michelin was raised by a French nurseryman in Normandy where it first bore fruit in 1872. It was named after pomologist Henri Michelin who studied cider varieties. In 1884 the Woolhope Field Naturalist's Club brought Michelin along with Medaille d'Or back to England where it became one of the most commonly planted cider varieties by the 1900s. 

Why We Grow It: These juicy apples produce good quantities of bittersweet juice that make a nice addition to cider blends. The trees start producing fruit at a young age and have large, reliable crops. They have preformed well in recent studies at the Vineland Research station in our Canadian growing conditions. 

History: Miki* Life was bred in Hirosaki City, Japan in 1981 by Seiichi Kudo and patented in 1996. It is a cross between two popular Japanese varieties: Tsugaru and Senshu.

*without knowing how the name is written in Japanese, it is difficult to say what 'miki' translates to but it could be 'beautiful tree'

Why We Grow It: Like many other Japanese varieties, Miki Life is a lovely red apple that is all sweetness with no acidity. These juicy apples can also be used to help bulk up cider and add alcohol by adding more sugars.

History: Mindemoya was discovered growing along the shores of Lake Mindemoya on Manitoulin Island along with Mindemoya Maroon. Wayne Kuntze happened upon these trees in 2020 while vacationing with his family. The good size and pinkish striping on the fruit caught his eye, and the sweet flavour sealed the deal! Now in 2023, we are happy to introduce this variety to the world!

Why We Grow It: Always on the search for new varieties, we are happy to grow and offer something that Wayne discovered! Mindemoya is an attractive whitish apple with pinkish-red stripes. It has a pleasantly sweet flavour and plenty of juice, along with a soft texture that may make it good for applesauce along with fresh eating.

This is a brand new variety and we're still learning about it! For any avid apple growers who decide to plant these out, feel free to keep us updated on how it grows, what you use the fruit for, etc, so we can provide as much information as possible!

History: Mindemoya Maroon was discovered near Mindemoya, Ontario by Wayne Kuntze when he was vacationing on Manitoulin Island with his family in 2020. It, along with Mindemoya, were found growing wild along Lake Mindemoya. It was named for the location where it was found and the red flesh of the crabapple. We are happy to officially introduce this variety to the world in 2023!

Why We Grow It: Always excited to try new things, Mindemoya Maroon is hard to turn down with its bright red flesh. For those who like really tart apples, it is not bad for fresh eating but would likely be better for jelly or potentially cider. Red-fleshed varieties often produce a lovely red juice, adding visual appeal to whatever they're used in!

This is a brand new variety and we're still learning about it! For any avid apple growers who decide to plant these out, feel free to keep us updated on how it grows, what you use the fruit for, etc, so we can provide as much information as possible!

History: Likely cultivated from a wild plum growing in Asia, Mirabelle plums are a specialty of the Lorraine region in France where they are still primarily grown today. They are very popular in Europe and the French city of Metz has an annual Mirabelle Festival that spans two weeks. In 2006, the French city of Nancy created the world's longest Mirabelle tart which measured over 200m in length. 

Why We Grow It: It's no why wonder that this European plum is so popular. Mirabelle plums are super sweet and flavourful with soft juicy flesh. The medium-sized yellow fruit is exquisite as a dessert plum, but can also be used in jams, chutneys and schnapps.

Species: Prunus sp

History: These seedlings are grown from Mirabelle plum seeds collected from our orchard. Mirabelle has been grown in Europe for a long time and remains popular there, especially in France.

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, Mirabelle, is super sweet and flavourful. For a more detailed description, see the Mirabelle plum page on our website here.

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.

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 some unique plants, we are happy to provide scionwood directly from our orchards! We have a few unique options that customers have requested over the years, although quantities may be limited. 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.

History: Mishirasu is an Asian pear from Japan.

Why We Grow It: Mishirasu is a popular variety since the fruit are extra large with a sweet, mild flavour and a nice crunch. The skin is brown and russeted, and the fruit have a roundish shape that is reminiscent of European pears.

Native Tree Discount: Purchase multiples of this tree & enjoy the savings! 

We try to grow as many Native North American Trees as we can; enjoy our bulk quantity discount (see below) and add to cart to see how much you save!

Species: Corylus heterophylla, C. americana, or C. heterophylla x C. americana

History: These hazelnut seedlings are grown from seed sourced from an open-pollinated, mixed hazelnut orchard at Grimo Nut Nursery. Since the orchard is open-pollinated, the resulting seedlings may be Asian hazelnuts, American hazelnuts, or hybrids of the two!

Why We Grow It: With such random cross-pollination, each seedling has the chance to be quite unique! Regardless of what you get, they will produce nuts that are excellent for a variety of uses!