RETAIL NURSERY VARIETY LIST

Merced Gardens & Nursery

1007 Tahoe Street

Merced, CA 95348

209.384.0513

Plant varieties ordered from Dave Wilson Nursery for 2024:

Fuji Apple Introduction from Japan that quickly became California’s favorite apple. Sweet, very crisp and flavorful, excellent keeper. Dull reddish orange skin, sometimes russeted. Ripe mid-September. Excellent pollenizer for other apple varieties. Low chilling requirement - less than 500 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 4-9.

Gala Apple Wonderful dessert apple from New Zealand. Crisp, nice blend of sweetness and tartness, rich flavor. Skin reddish orange over yellow. Early harvest, 2 - 3 weeks before Red Delicious. Good pollenizer for other varieties. Adapted to cold- and warm-winter climates. Chilling requirement less than 500 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 4-10.

Granny Smith Apple From New Zealand. Large, late, green, all-purpose. Crisp, tart, excellent keeper. Requires long summer. Thrives in hot climates. 400 hours. Prolonged bloom: good pollenizer for other apples. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 6-9.

Pink Lady® Apple Hot climate apple from Western Australia. Very crisp, sweet tart, distinct flavor, good keeper. Skin reddish pink over green when ripe. White flesh resists browning. Harvest begins late October in Central CA, about three weeks after Fuji. Self-fruitful in many western U.S. climates; pollenizer recommended for best production. 300-400 hours. USDA Zones 6-9.

Red Delicious (Bisbee Spur) Apple Sweet, crisp, flavorful perhaps the best Red Delicious. Early fall. Small, compact tree. Good pollenizer for most other apples. 700 hours. Pollenized by Liberty, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Gala. USDA Zones 4-7.

Blenheim (Royal) Apricot All-purpose freestone. Sweet, aromatic, flavorful - the long-time No. 1 apricot in California. Early bloom. Late June harvest in Central CA. 400 hours or less. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 7-9.

Brittany Gold Apricot This sweet apricot is a very consistent producer in the Dave Wilson test orchard, and has proven to perform in tough climates where no other apricots will. This large, firm fruit has an extremely long season for an apricot, hanging for three weeks or more at the end of July. Self-fruitful. 500-600 hours. U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13504 (Zaiger)

Pixie-Cot Genetic Semi-dwarf Apricot Compact tree with medium-sized, fine quality fruit. First genetically dwarfed apricot to meet the flavor standards set by Dave Wilson Nursery for release to the home gardener. Ripens first week of June in CA’s Central Valley. 500 hours. (Zaiger)

Tilton Apricot Best apricot for canning, excellent fresh or dried as well. Medium to large, firm, rich flavor - one of the best. Widely adapted. Early July in Central CA. 600 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 5-9.

Cot-N-Candy White Aprium® Interspecific Apricot White flesh apricot-plum hybrid. Medium-sized with incredible flavor, very sweet and juicy. Ripens early- to mid-July. Self-fruitful. 400 hours. USDA Zones 7-10. (Pat. No. 17827) (Zaiger)

Flavor Delight Aprium® Interspecific Apricot Apricot-plum hybrid. Resembles an apricot but with a distinctive flavor and texture all its own. High taste-test scores, one of the most flavorful early season fruits. Early June. Very low chilling requirement, less than 300 hours. Self-fruitful, but largest crops when pollenized by another apricot. (Zaiger)

20th Century Asian Pear Juicy, sweet, mild flavored fruit is crisp like an apple. Early to mid-August in Central CA. Keeps well. Easy to grow, heavy bearing small tree. 300-400 hours. Self-fruitful or pollenized. by Shinseiki, Bartlett, or other.

Shinseiki Asian Pear Juicy, sweet, refreshing, crisp like an apple. Easy to grow. Keeps well. Harvest late July/early August in Central CA. Bright yellow skin. Vigorous, heavy bearing (usually by 2nd year). 250-300 hours. Self-fruitful.

Bing Cherry Large, firm, juicy, sweet, nearly black when ripe. Superb flavor, the No. 1 cherry. Midseason. Large vigorous tree. Pollenized by Black Tart, Van, Rainier and Lapins. Also Stella in colder climates. 700 hours. USDA Zones 5-9.

Black Tartarian Cherry Medium-sized, nearly black, sprightly flavor, early season. Vigorous, productive tree. 700 hours. Pollenizer required - interfruitful with all popular sweet cherries. USDA Zones 5-7.

Craig's Crimson Cherry Taste test winner. Natural semi-dwarf sweet cherry. Dark red to nearly black, medium to large size, wonderful spicy flavor, very firm texture. Mature tree size about 2/3 of standard (smaller when budded onto Colt or Mahaleb rootstock). Harvest midseason. 500-600 hours. Partly self-fruitful, but pollenizer recommended: a midseason or later bloomer such as Bing, Black Tartarian, Rainier, Stella, Utah Giant, Van. USDA Zones 4-9. (Zaiger)

Lapins Cherry Self-fruitful, dark red sweet cherry from Canada. Large, firm, good flavor. Similar to Van in color, Bing in shape. Sometimes sold as ‘Self-fertile Bing.’ Ripens 4 days after Bing. 500 hours or less. USDA Zones 5-9.

Multi-Bud Cherry, Rainier-Bing-Utah Giant-Van Rainier, Bing, Utah Giant and Van budded onto Mazzard rootstock. Finished trees include 4n1's plus assorted 3n1's and 2n1's.

Rainier Cherry Large, yellow with red blush. Sweet and flavorful. Very cold hardy. Midseason harvest. 700 hours. Pollenized by Van, Lambert, Lapins, Black Tartarian & Bing. USDA Zones 5-9.

Stella Cherry Self-fruitful - no pollenizer needed. Large, nearly black, richly flavored sweet cherry similar to its parent, Lambert. Late harvest. 400 hours. Pollinates Bing, except in mild winter climates. USDA Zones 5-9.

Sweetheart™ Cherry Van x Newstar. Large, bright red fruit with good flavor. Precocious tree requires pruning to prevent size problems. Self-fruitful. Matures 5-7 days after Lapins. Developed in Summerland, British Columbia.

Utah Giant Cherry The industry favorite sweet cherry in Utah. Larger, firmer, more flavorful than Bing or Lambert. Good canner. Does not double. 800 hours. Pollenizer required: Bing, Lambert, Rainier, Van. USDA Zones 4-9.

Van Cherry Very cold hardy, reliable, heavy bearing. Fine fruit similar to Bing, though usually smaller. 700 hours. Pollenizer required - interfruitful with all popular sweet cherries. USDA Zones 4-9.

Black Mission Fig The industry standard. Purplish-black skin, strawberry-colored flesh, rich flavor. Heavy bearing, long-lived, large tree. Coast or inland. Coast or inland. Fresh/dry/can. 100 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 7-9.

Panache Fig (A.k.a. “Tiger”) Especially fine flavor! Small to medium-sized fruit with green color and yellow “tiger” stripes. Strawberry pulp is blood-red in color. 100 hours. Self-fruitful.

Multi-Bud Fruit Salad, GDust-Indep-JulElb-LSRosa-Blenheim Gold Dust Peach, Independence Nectarine, July Elberta Peach, Late Santa Rosa Plum and Blenheim Apricot budded onto Lovell rootstock. Finished trees include 5n1's plus assorted 4n1's and 3n1's.

Multi-Bud Fruit Salad, JulElb-Fantasia-Babcock-SRosa-Blenh July Elberta Peach, Fantasia Nectarine, Babcock White Peach, Santa Rosa Plum and Blenheim Apricot budded onto Nemaguard rootstock. Finished trees include 5n1's plus assorted 4n1's and 3n1's.

Spice Zee NectaPlum™ Interspecific Nectarine The first NectaPlum® from Zaiger Hybrids. White-fleshed, nectarine x plum. Skin is dark maroon at fruit set, and turns pale pink when ripe. Fully ripe fruit is unparalleled in flavor, and both nectarine and plum traits are easily detectable. The tree is quite ornamental: tremendous purplish pink bloom in the spring followed by a flourish of red leaves which mature into lush green in late summer. Self-fruitful. Very productive. 200-300 hours. High chill adaptable. (Pat. No. 13503) (Zaiger)

Arctic Rose White Nectarine Delicious, super-sweet, white nectarine. Very high scoring in taste tests. Rich flavor and nice crunchy texture when firm ripe, extremely sweet when fully ripe. Harvest mid to late July in Central CA. Highly recommended for home orchards. 600-700 hours. Self-fruitful. (Zaiger)

Double Delight Nectarine Sensational fruit: consistently the best flavored yellow nectarine plus magnificent, double pink flowers. Dark red-skinned, freestone fruit is sweet, with unusually rich flavor - very high scoring in taste tests. Heavy-bearing tree. Harvest early to mid-July in Central CA. 300 hours. Self-fruitful. (Zaiger)

Fantasia Nectarine Popular, large, yellow freestone. Early harvest fruit is firm-ripe and tangy, later harvest is sweet with rich flavor: high scoring in taste tests. Late July/early August in Central CA. 500 hours or less. Self-fruitful.

Goldmine White Nectarine Long-time favorite in California and Western Oregon. Small to medium-sized white-fleshed freestone. Aromatic, juicy and sweet. Ripe in August. 400 hours. Self-fruitful.

Necta Zee Miniature Nectarine, high head Sweet, very flavorful yellow freestone, beautiful red skin. Mid-June to early July in central CA. Strong, vigorous tree to 6 ft. Best self-fruitful miniature nectarine. 400 hours or less. Self-fruitful. (Zaiger) High head form has 18" trunk.

Babcock White Peach Long-time favorite white-fleshed freestone. Sweet and juicy, aromatic, low in acid. High scoring in taste tests. Ripens mid-July in Central CA. Widely adapted (low chill requirement, yet not early blooming). 250-300 hours. Self-fruitful.

Champagne White Peach Light red over cream skin, white freestone flesh. Fruits are large, sweet, low in acid with a mild, pleasing flavor. Harvest early August in Central CA. Chilling requirement: approximately 400 hours or less. Self-fruitful.

Donut (Stark Saturn) White Peach Also called Saucer or Peento peach. Unique white-fleshed fruit with a sunken center (shaped like a doughnut). Sweet, with a mild flavor described by some as almond-like. Ripens late June/early July in Central CA. Estimated chilling requirement 200-300 hours. Self-fruitful.

Elberta Peach Famous yellow freestone. Classic, rich peach flavor: high scoring in taste tests. Use fresh, canned or cooked. Ripe late July/early August in Central CA, up to 3-4 weeks later in colder climates. 600 hours. Self-fruitful.

Fairtime Peach Fine fruit for the very late season. Very large yellow freestone with excellent flavor. Mid-September in Central CA. Early bloom. 4-500 hours. Self-fruitful.

Fay Elberta Peach Popular yellow freestone: juicy, moderately sweet, flavorful. Fresh/can/freeze/dry. Ripens 1-2 days later than Elberta in Central CA. (August 1st), but blooms earlier. 700 hours. Self-fruitful.

Honey Babe Miniature Peach, high head Sweet, yellow freestone, rich peach flavor. Heavy bearing 5 ft. tree. Early to mid-July in Central California. Excellent choice for home orchard. 400 hours or less. Partly self-fruitful, sometimes shy-bearing without a pollenizer. (Zaiger) High head form has 18" trunk.

July (Kim) Elberta Peach Also called Early Elberta. Reliable heavy crops. Juicy, sweet, very flavorful yellow freestone fruit for canning, freezing, or fresh use. 400-500 hours. Self-fruitful.

May Pride Peach Very early peach for warm winter climates. Ripens in May, about with Desert Gold. Delicious, sweet and tangy, semi-freestone when fully ripe. Very large for such an early peach. Large, showy pink blossoms. 150-200 hours. Self-fruitful. (Zaiger)

Redhaven Peach Long one of the world’s most widely planted peaches. High quality yellow freestone. Ripens early July in Central CA. Frost hardy, excellent producer. Fresh/freeze. 800 hours. Self-fruitful.

Sweet Bagel Peach Flat 'donut' shaped peach with yellow flesh and classic peach flavor. Tree sets heavy crops of large fruit in Central California. Moderate chill requirement, 300-400 hours. Self-fruitful.

Bartlett Pear World's most popular pear. Early midseason, high quality, tolerates hot summers. 500-600 hours. Self-fruitful in most climates of Western U.S. Elsewhere, pollenized by Bosc, D'Anjou, Winter Nelis.

Warren Pear Excellent quality dessert pear, tree is highly resistant to fire blight. Medium to large, long-necked fruit with pale green skin, sometimes blushed red. Smooth flesh (no grit cells) is juicy and buttery with superb flavor. Good keeper. Cold hardy to -20 deg F. From Mississippi. 600 hours. Self-fruitful

Chocolate Persimmon Small to medium size, oblong, bright red skin. Sweet, spicy, firm, brown flesh, superb flavor - the choice of connoisseurs. 200 hours. Self-fruitful.

Fuyu (Jiro) Persimmon (“Apple Persimmon”) Medium size, flat shape, still crunchy when ripe, non-astringent. Cool or hot climate. Hardy, attractive tree, practically pest free. Fall harvest. 200 hours. Self-fruitful.

Giant Fuyu Persimmon Larger, not as flat as Fuyu. Crunchy when ripe like Fuyu. Sweet, flavorful, non astringent. Easy to grow, cool or hot climates. Fall harvest. 200 hours. Self-fruitful.

Burgundy Plum Maroon colored skin and semi-freestone flesh. Sweet, with little or no tartness and a very pleasing, mild flavor. High taste test scores. Prolonged harvest, mid-July to mid-August in Central CA. Very productive tree with narrow, upright habit. 300 hours. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 5-9.

Late Santa Rosa Plum Medium to large, reddish-purple skin, red-streaked amber flesh. Tart-sweet with rich flavor when fully ripe. Harvest about one month after Santa Rosa. 400 hours or less. Self-fruitful.

Santa Rosa Plum Most popular plum in California & Arizona. Juicy, tangy and flavorful. Reddish purple skin, amber flesh tinged red. Late June in Central CA. 300 hours. Self-fruitful.

Multi-Bud Pluot® I.S. Plum, Fl King-Fl Queen-Fl Supr-DapDan Flavor King, Flavor Queen, Flavor Supreme and Dapple Dandy budded onto Citation rootstock. Finished trees include 4n1's plus assorted 3n1's and 2n1's.

Eversweet Pomegranate Very sweet, virtually seedless fruit. (Even immature fruits are sweet.) Red skin, clear (non-staining) juice. Harvest late summer through fall. Coast or inland. 8-10 ft. arching shrub, or train as tree or espalier. Large, showy, orange-red flowers. 150 hours. Self fruitful.

Bluecrop Northern Highbush Blueberry No. 1 variety, the standard of excellence. Upright, vigorous, Northern Highbush. Very productive. Large, firm, great flavor. Fruit does not drop or crack. Tolerates hot summers if soil is moist, acidic, and high in humus. 800 hours. Self-fruitful.

Jelly Bean® Blueberry Medium to large flavorful blueberries that harvests mid-summer. Unique, elongated leaves make this compact grower great for the edible landscape or patio pot. Self-fruitful. Zones 4-9. Est. chill requirement 600 hours or less. U.S. plant patent no. 24662.

Jewel Southern Highbush Blueberry One of California's leading commercial varieties due to its high adaptability. Exceptional growth and high yields. Midseason harvest of large to very large berries with tangy sweet flavor. Chill requirement estimated at 200 hours. Self-fruitful, zones 7-10. (U.S Plant Patent #11807)

Jubilee Southern Highbush Blueberry Southern Highbush. Midseason, sweet, firm berry. Upright and quite compact, with fruit borne on the outer periphery of the bush. Chilling requirement is estimated at 400-500 hours.

Misty Southern Highbush Blueberry Southern Highbush. Early season. In the West Misty is quite vigorous, growing very well on the coast and in the inland heat. This especially flavorful fruit does well in areas with chilling as low as 150 hours and all areas with mild winters and hot summers.

O'Neal Southern Highbush Blueberry Southern Highbush (low chill, tolerates heat). Large fruit is especially sweet and flavorful. Early season. Soil must be acidic, high in humus. 5-6 ft. bush. 200 hours. Self-fruitful, but plant two varieties for largest crops.

Sunshine Blue Southern Highbush Blueberry Southern highbush. Great flavored firm berries. Ripens May 10 through June 15 at Gainesville, Florida. Semi-dwarf evergreen bush with great fall color. Showy hot pink flowers fade to white in spring. Self-fruitful. Estimated chilling required 150 hours, but very cold hardy as well.

Baby Cakes® Blackberry A dwarf, bush blackberry perfect for the patio pot. This thornless variety produces large, sweet berries in the summer often with a second crop in most regions. U.S. plant patent # 27,032. Self-fruitful. Zones 4-9. Est. chill requirement 400 hours.

Black Satin Blackberry Thornless - Large firm berries 1.5" to 2", glossy black color fading to dull when ripe. Highly productive, semi-trailing vine with minimal suckering. Midseason harvest. Self- fruitful, but more productive with a second variety. Best in zones 5-9.

Boysenberry Thornless Rubus ursinus var. loganobaccus, a hybrid of blackberry, raspberry, dewberry and loganberry. Very large berry up to 2.5", dark maroon in color with an intense, tangy, sweet flavor. Excellent quality with few seeds and a pleasant aroma. Vine-like trailing growth habit. Harvest through summer. Self-fruitful, best in zones 5-10.

Canby Thornless Raspberry Thornless - the only red thornless raspberry. Large to very large fruit are firm, juicy and of fine flavor. Good for all uses. Viroid and aphid resistant. Very winter hardy, grows best in cooler summer areas. Harvest June, July. Self-fruitful, best in zones 4-9.

Raspberry Shortcake® This dwarf, thornless bush raspberry thrives in a patio pot or in the landscape. It produces an abundant crop of sweet raspberries in midsummer. Self-fruitful. Zones 4-9. Est. chill requirement 500 hours or less. U.S. plant patent no. 22141.

Concord Seedless Grape American grape, a sport of Concord. Berries very similar to Concord, but seedless (or seeds very rare). Bluish-black skin, green flesh, distinctive Concord flavor. 100 hours. Self-fruitful. Cane prune.

Flame Seedless Grape Medium-sized, light red. Crisp, sweet, excellent flavor. For fresh use or raisins. Needs hot summer. Ripens before Thompson. Vigorous. 100 hours. Self-fruitful. Cane or spur prune.

Thompson Seedless Grape Most popular grape in CA, AZ. Fresh and raisins. Pale green, very sweet. Thin the clusters for larger berries. Needs plenty of heat. 100 hours. Self-fruitful. Cane prune.

Tomuri Male Kiwi Actinidia chinensis, aka A. deliciosa. Pollenizer for Vincent female. Does not bear fruit. One male can pollenize up to eight Vincent females.

Vincent Female Kiwi Actinidia chinesis, aka A. deliciousa. Low chilling requirement, adapted to Southern CA. Tasty, well-regarded fuzzy-skinned fruit. Pollenized by Tomuri Male.

Purple Pony Flowering Plum Prunus cerasifera 'Purple Pony' Showy purple foliage holds its color all season. Believed to be sterile. Height at full maturity 10-12 feet. Single pale pink flower. Hardy to USDA Zone 5.

Fruitless Mulberry Morus alba 'Fruitless' Fast-growing, to 40 by 50 ft., dense shade. Tolerates summer heat, alkaline soil. Drought tolerant, but best with ample water and feeding. Not necessary to prune back to trunk each winter. All zones.

Weeping Willow Salix babylonica Fast-growing, cold hardy, short dormant period. Long narrow leaves, pronounced weeping growth habit. Needs plenty of water. Stake high to develop usable area underneath. 30 by 30 ft. or larger.

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