Take Your Pick From Your Own Private Orchard This Year!

A trend that is definitely here to stay is edible fruits in urban landscapes, and why not plant shrubs and ground covers that you can nibble from?! Read on to learn about a few of our favourites and why we love them.

Haskap

Also known as the Honeyberry, the Haskap is an early flowering and early fruiting plant! The fruit produced is often described as an elongated blueberry—yum! If you are planning on adding the Haskap to your yard, keep in mind that two varieties are needed in order for cross-pollination to occur. For instance, an Aurora Haskap will cross-pollinate a Borealis Haskap, and a Tundra Haskap will cross-pollinate a Boreal Blizzard Haskap.

Saskatoon

Our favourite fruiting shrub here at the farm is the native Saskatoon, which offers an abundance of berries, lovely fall colour, and a spread of about 10’ height by 6’ width.  Other Saskatoon varieties that we recommend are the Northline, Smoky, Thiessen, and Regent as they are all excellent pick-and-eat varieties.  Saskatoons are self-pollinating so only one plant is needed in a yard!

Golden Currant

The Golden Currant is a self-pollinating, four season interest shrub.  New-growth branches are bright orange and are particularly visible in the winter months. Bright green leaves start to push through as early as April, setting the stage for vibrant yellow flowers to emerge, calling for the pollinators.  The fruit is fantastic and the fall colour will rival even the showiest of trees and shrubs! 

Gooseberry

At the same time as the Golden Currant begins to flower, its little brother, the native Gooseberry, will begin flowering as well.  The Gooseberry displays very early green leaves, thorny branches that can aid in keeping ungulates out, white flowers, delicious fruit, and gorgeous fall colour.  These thorny, little plants are also self-pollinating, but why stop at just one when the fruit is this good?

Wild Strawberry

We get asked all the time what our favourite ground cover is, and our answer is the Wild Strawberry! The most delicious strawberries that are the size of your thumbnail will be your reward for planting this bulletproof little beauty!

Bow Point Nursery is stocked with all of these edible shrubs, a wide variety of fruit trees, and more!  If you're planning an urban orchard, Bow Point Nursery is the place for you!

Have questions about your plants and trees? Feel free to give us a call or send us a message – we are happy to help!