Plants

Cherry trees that do not bear fruit exist because of a genetic trade-off centuries of Japanese breeding built directly into their flowers. Many ornamental cherry cultivars carry doubled blossoms with 20 to 50 petals per flower, and those extra petals typically develop by converting the tree’s own reproductive parts, its stamens and pistils, into more … Read more

Cherry trees that grow in zone 7 have more options than almost any other hardiness zone in the country, since the region’s winter lows of 0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit hit a sweet spot between too little chill for classic sweet cherries and too much cold for the more tender ornamental types. Zone 7 spans … Read more

Cherry trees that grow in DC go far beyond the handful of names most visitors learn on a single walk around the Tidal Basin. The National Park Service manages approximately 3,800 cherry trees across the city’s monumental core, and the original 1912 gift from Japan alone included 3,020 trees representing 12 different named varieties. Add … Read more

Dwarf cherry trees are changing the way gardeners think about growing cherries at home. Instead of needing a large orchard and a ladder to reach the upper branches, many compact cherries can fit comfortably into smaller yards, edible gardens, and even carefully managed urban spaces. The term “dwarf cherry tree” can mean two different things. … Read more

Cherry trees that grow in Oklahoma have a real advantage over those planted in warmer Southern states, since most of the state sits in USDA hardiness zones 6b through 7b and reliably accumulates the winter chill that classic cherry varieties actually need. Traditional sweet and sour cherries typically require between 700 and 1,200 hours of … Read more

Cherry trees that grow in Florida look nothing like the cherry orchards of the Pacific Northwest, and that surprises a lot of gardeners moving to the state for the first time. Traditional sweet and tart cherries need between 700 and 1,200 hours of winter temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit to set fruit, and most of … Read more

Cherry trees that produce fruit come in a surprising range of shapes, flavors, and growing habits, and choosing the right one can mean the difference between a handful of sour cherries and buckets of sweet, juicy fruit every summer. Home orchardists across the United States plant an estimated 1.5 million cherry trees each year, and … Read more

Cherry trees are often associated with mild spring weather and long summer days, but plenty of varieties can handle the cold winters of USDA Zone 4. The key is choosing trees bred for cold climates rather than assuming every cherry will survive simply because it is a fruit tree. Zone 4 typically experiences winter temperatures … Read more

Growing cherry trees in USDA Zone 8 can be surprisingly rewarding, but variety selection matters. Zone 8 has relatively mild winters, and that can be a challenge for traditional cherry cultivars that need substantial winter chilling before they flower and fruit. In warmer parts of the zone, low-chill cherry trees are generally the safest choice, … Read more

Oak trees rank among the most recognized and ecologically important trees on the planet, with roughly 500 species distributed across the Northern Hemisphere and even a handful reaching into tropical highlands. A single mature oak can support more than 500 species of caterpillars alone, making it one of the greatest wildlife hosts of any tree … Read more