Who has success in the Houston area?, and what cultivars do you have? Any advice? I was thinking about planting plums, or tangerines the coming season, but I have no real preference. ------------------ Sometimes you gotta do the next best thing!
When we were in Houston we had excellent success with apples and pears. We did not do anythings fancy. we planted them and then pounded in some "fruit spike" fertilizer sticks, and watched them flourish. The apples were of a green variety (tart, but outstanding in pies) and the pears were "normal" pears. Sorry, but it's been awhile and I don't remember the types. ------------------
I've heard apples do well, but it has to be a variety that isn't real dependent on cold weather to trigger the blooming cycle. I've heard of some success with oranges, but they never look quite as pretty as the "real" oranges from the grocery store (which use steroids). Comquats (sp?) can really flourish here, if you want something easier, that looks and smells good and produces lots of little fruit. ------------------ Stay Cool...
My neighbors have a huge, producing, tangerine tree. I have also seen fig trees grow well. A friend of mine who is a gardener says, "start planting citrus trees" according to her since our winters are becoming milder they should thrive in our climate. She has had much success with pear trees. Good Luck Happy Gardenin' rH ------------------ *** THIS SPACE FOR LEASE ***
Citrus trees do well in Houston. My relatives have had extraordinary success with Meyer lemons. In fact, some of the newer cultivars of citrus tree remain relatively small and can be kept in large pots. This is a bonus in winter because they can be moved indoors when extremely cold weather strikes (they can't handle freezes). I actually don't know many people in the city with producing apple trees. Apples, along with other fruits like peaches and nectarines require "chilling time" in the winter. They actually have to have some time spent at cold temperatures. Often, Houston never gets cold enough. There may be new varieties that don't require that now, but I'm unfamiliar with them. A good resource for you would be "A Garden Book for Houston" put out by the River Oaks Garden Club. It's written specifically for gardeners on the Texas Gulf Coast and does have information about fruit trees. You can usually find one at Half-Price Books (the 4th edition is the latest one, so look for that). Also, for a fantastic selection of fruit trees, chech out the original Teas Nursery on Bellaire Dr. ------------------
Thanks everyone for the information, I really appreciate it. ------------------ Sometimes you gotta do the next best thing!
