Garden Centre Nurseries

FRUIT TREES

Fruit Trees A - L

WAIMEA FRUIT TREES A - L


Apples


Apricots


Avocados

BallerinaTM
Columnar Apples


Cherries

Citrus


Dwarf Stonefruit


Feijoas


Figs


Loquats

APPLES


Classic Apple Selections

Our classics represent apples that have been mainstay commercial varieties in the past but by and large are now no longer commercially grown. They are also apples that taste so much better when tree ripened. Ideal for apple lovers who are happy to adhere to a spray programme to control the likes of black spot and powdery mildew.


Cox’s Orange Pippin
(c.1805) One of the finest apples ever grown. Rich, aromatic nutty flavoured flesh makes this older variety still a hugely popular apple. Early to mid season.

Golden Delicious
World famous apple with great taste, texture, aroma and appearance. Honeyed flavour, very sweet especially when tree ripened. Heavy and regular producer in late season.

Granny Smith
Aussie classic with large green fruit with white, tart, crisp and juicy flesh. Well balanced flavour. Late and long picking. Excellent keeper. Regular bearer that suits most climates.

Sturmer Pippin
(c.1800) Very late old English apple. Green, blushed bronze skin and very firm acid but aromatic sweet and juicy flesh. Also makes excellent cider and a great cooker. Very high in Vitamin C.

Heritage Apple Selections

We have very carefully chosen what we believe are amongst the best apple trees of yesteryear for New Zealand gardens and home orchards.


Belle de Boskoop
(1856) A large yellowish russeted apple that is very popular in Europe as a cooking and fresh-eating apple. It is firm and crisp, tart and somewhat dry, full flavoured, very aromatic and gets sweeter in storage. It keeps its shape well when cooked and also makes a golden, well flavoured thick puree. Stores for 3-4 months or more. Forms a rather large, open, wide-spreading and drooping tree. AGM

Blenheim Orange
(c.1740) One of the most famous English apples. Orangey yellow, slightly russet skin striped dull red. Large, round flat apple of regular shape, crisp, sweet, juicy and yellow flesh that is rich and aromatic and with a distinctive nutty flavour. Cooks well. A true dual purpose apple. Makes a large, spreading flat headed tree. AGM

Bramley’s Seedling
(c.1810) England’s most popular cooker with firm tart and acid flesh yet sweet with a good flavour and plenty of juice. Medium to large sized round fruit of distinctly conical shape and excellent keeping qualities. The skin is pale yellow with red cheek when fully ripe. It cooks to a pale ‘fluff’. Hardy vigorous tree. AGM

Egremont Russet
(1872) The classic russet, with a very rich sweet, nutty flavour, with very firm flesh and distinctive thick olive green-brown skin. A fine garden tree, upright and moderately vigorous yet with compact growth to make it also suitable for container growing. AGM

Laxton’s Fortune
(1904) An excellent eating apple, sweet with a good acid balance. Has a hint of aniseed in its flavour. The skin is red flushed with red stripes over green/yellow, some russetting. Good resistance to blackspot. AGM

Mother
(c.1844) Widely acclaimed late red apple highly recommended for every fruit connoisseur’s garden! The flavour is excellent- sweet, perfumed and distinctive. The tree is very upright. Bears young, with heavy crops but is not always a regular cropper. Tolerates cool summers, very cold winters. AGM

Peasgood’s Nonsuch
(1853) Juicy fresh eating apple with large regular shape. Cooks to a sweet delicately flavoured puree, but also great baked or used in salads. Good, regular cropper and reasonably disease resistant tree. AGM

Tydeman’s Late Orange
(1930) Richly flavoured connoisseurs’ favourite. Intensely rich apple flavour - even stronger than Cox and very aromatic. Purplish-red skin, yellow flesh. Medium size and late. Vigorous and productive. Excellent storage.

Winter Banana
(1876) A highly attractive bright yellow apple blushed rose. Crisp, tangy, juicy flesh with a mild, banana-like flavour. Well suited to warmer areas. Partially self fertile. Late eater but also cooks well. Great for juicing. AGM

Worcester Pearmain
(c.1876) Bright red, medium sized fruit, crisp and juicy with an intense strawberry flavour. Very sweet and loved by children. Very heavy and regular early season bearer. AGM


Kiwi Classics Apple Selection

Our Kiwi classics represent either New Zealand bred (four from J. Kidd’s world famous breeding programme) or selected apples that have made a name for themselves both at home and abroad but are no longer readily available. They like our other classic apple selections taste so much better when tree ripened so are ideal for apple lovers who are happy to adhere to a spray programme to control the likes of black spot and powdery mildew. Other Kiwi apples include Annaglo*, Aztec*, Braeburn, Mahana Red*, Royal Gala and Ruby Bay Pippin*.

Freyberg
A connoisseurs delight! Outstanding flavour sweet to very sweet with a cocktail of flavours. Fine and juicy texture and creamy white, aromatic flesh. Small, greenish-yellow russeted fruit. Ripens mid season, but hangs well and continues to develop flavour even when very ripe.

Gala
Wonderful early season apple with reddish-orange skin, striped over yellow. Crisp, dense, aromatic flesh with nice blend of sweetness and tartness, rich flavour.

Kidd’s Orange Red
A character apple with very rich, aromatic, perfumed taste and a good balance between tart and sweet flavour. It can have quite a bit of russeting on the skin, but, as the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover. Regular late season cropper. AGM

Mayflower
A late green apple with gold russet on top that performs well in low chill areas like Auckland. A beautiful dessert apple with old fashion flavour. Also good for drying, cooking, and juicing. Selected in the Hokianga by Mr Knaggs in the 1840’s and named after the boat in which he arrived.

Oratia Beauty
Red New Zealand selection of Gravenstein - one of the world’s more esteemed old apples. Best left on the tree to mature to develop wonderful crisp, juicy, tart flavour. Famous for sauce and baking. Fruit is large, round to slightly flattened. Early bloom, early harvest. Tree is very vigorous.

Splendour
Beautiful, large and blocky, carmine-red apples with creamy, very crisp flesh. Sweet and very low acid. Ripens late and hangs on the tree well. Fabulous winter keeper.

Telstar
A sister to Gala. Telstar has a very rich and deep flavour, similar to Cox, but with less acid and much more sweetness. The fruit has crisp, melting flesh, is of small to medium size with flattened shape. Mid season. A very heavy cropper and smaller growing tree.

 

"Medical" Apple Selections

We are pleased to be able to offer two selections of Heritage apples that have stood out in recent research as having very high levels of antioxidants and other beneficial compounds, that may have possible cancer fighting properties. Our thanks to Mark Christensen et al of NZ Tree Crops Association (NZTCA) for both their work and initiative in getting this project going. Both these apples have been sent for further testing to researchers including those at Cornell University,USA. A donation of one dollar from each sale goes towards furthering the funding of the Apple Cancer Research Project by NZTCA.

Hetlina
Reliable crops of medium sized firm and crisp red fruit that are good eating. Early season apple on high health tree. Confused origins but definitely somewhere in Europe during the 19th Century.
Monty’s Surprise
A crisp, good eating late ripening apple that also cooks well. Fruit can be very large on a vigorous, high health tree. Fruit shiny red over light green background. Name given to a very old tree in the Manawatu.



Modern Apple Selections

Exclusive selections of many of the world’s most flavourful and popular eating apples. These selections will benefit greatly from a spray programme to ensure good productivity, healthy trees and quality fruit.

Braeburn
Discovered near Motueka, this crisp sweet apple is a favourite of many. Late season variety which stores well.

EXCLUSIVE TO WAIMEA NURSERIES

D’Estivale
Highly recommended early season, bright red apple with very firm, sweet, honeyed, deep cream flesh with a hint of aniseed. Prolific and regular cropper from France. AGM

Fuji
Super sweet, super juicy, super crisp Japanese apple. Stores very well for several months. Colour ranges from light green-yellow with a small amount of red, to fully red.

Royal Gala
This NZ bred apple now surpasses Cox Orange as Britain’s most popular eating apple. Creamy, fine textured, crisp, sweet and juicy flesh. Regarded as one of the world’s finest apples. Matures in February. AGM

EXCLUSIVE TO WAIMEA NURSERIES

Tentation® (Delblush*)
A new, golden yellow apple that has been described as a taste sensation! “Its sweet and tangy flavours are balanced to perfection as are its fragrant fruity and floral aromas. Its firm and juicy flesh is pleasantly refreshing”. Mid to late season.


Rezista® Apple Selections

Varieties highly recommended for organic orchards and home orchardists. These selections are resistant to black spot and generally require little spraying. Newly released Initial is highly recommended.

EXCLUSIVE TO WAIMEA NURSERIES

Baujade
New French Granny Smith type apple ripening late in the season. Medium size, sweet and aromatic. Well suited warmer areas

Dayton
An excellent eating large red apple, crisp and juicy with mildly tart, well-balanced flavour. Early to mid season.

Discovery
Very attractive early English apple, with rosy red flushed fruit and perfumed, crisp, juicy pink stained flesh with a sharp taste. When tree ripened the flavour becomes sweeter, slightly strawberry, and very refreshing. AGM

EXCLUSIVE TO WAIMEA NURSERIES

Initial**
Destined for the winners podium! An exceptionally good eating early red apple with high aroma, low acid and high sugar. Easy to grow & tolerant to a large range of apple diseases and pests.

Liberty
Widely accepted as tops in flavour of the early apples bred for disease resistance. Attractive red blushed apples with crisp, juicy and well-balanced sweet-tart flavour. Heavy bearer.

Prima
Medium to large size dark red apples with firm creamy-white and juicy flesh. Early season.

Priscilla
Sweet, firm red blush apples of medium size and rich in flavour. Mid season Red Delicious type. Stores well.

Sir Prize
Large yellow Golden Delicious type apple with blush. Very juicy with crisp, tender flesh. Excellent keeper. Mid to late season.

 

Apples - Double grafted

Dual combinations on the one tree to save space, add variety, prolong harvesting and help solve pollination issues. Our doubles are grafted one above the other to produce an excellent shaped tree with even growth.

Golden Delicious & Red Delicious "Double Delicious" Superb in spectacle and great eating.
Initial & Baujade
Initial & Liberty
Mayflower & Sturmer
Oratia Beauty & Granny Smith
Telstar & Blenheim Orange
Winter Banana & Belle de Boskoop


Apples - Triple grafted

Three varieties on the one tree to save space, add variety, prolong harvesting and help solve pollination issues.

Braeburn & Royal Gala & Granny Smith

Three of the best modern eating apples. Ideal home combo for home orchardists happy to apply a managed spray programme, with the rewards of fantastic fruit.


APRICOTS

Decorative and productive trees well suited to many temperate regions of New Zealand. While most are self fertile they often produce heavier and more regular crops when more than one variety is grown.

Katy (Katy Cot)
Large, all-purpose flavourful freestone apricot well suited to warm-winter climates. Tree ripened fruit are incredibly good eating and also makes excellent jam. Early harvest. Self-fertile. Semi-dwarf - 4m.

Moorpark
Superb flavoured, medium to large, juicy soft fruit. Mid-season variety best suited for cooler climates. Eating, bottling or drying. Self-fertile. AGM

Royal Rosa
Very early, freestone selection with tasty firm gold flesh, yellow skin with a red blush. Self-fertile. Relatively disease resistant, low chill selection recommended for home gardens throughout the country.

Sundrop
Excellent cropper with sweet and juicy yellow fruit with firm flesh over long season. Partially self fertile, but best planted with Trevatt for cross pollination. Suitable for many regions.

Trevatt
Large, sweet, juicy golden yellow fruit. Mid to late season. Eating or bottling. Recommended for most areas.

 

AVOCADOS

Widely sought after subtropical with beautiful, emerald green fruit and forming a magnificent, asymmetrical tree. Needs a free draining soil and good protection from frosts and cold winds. Grafted selections are preferable as seedlings can take a long time to fruit and the fruit can be of poor quality. All are self fertile but will produce more and better fruit if cross pollinated by another variety.

Hass
The most commonly grown variety in the world. Smooth texture, with high oil content and a very nutty, rich taste.

Reed
Large round, ‘cannon ball’, smooth skinned fruit, with smooth texture and nutty flavour.

 

BALLERINA® Columnar Apple Series

EXCLUSIVE TO WAIMEA NURSERIES

The world’s most compact apple trees! Fully grown they are no more than four metres in height and 30cm across! Ballerina® trees can be grown practically anywhere including in borders, lawns, containers, lining paths and driveway, against fences, and planting in a row as a screen. This exciting concept almost eliminates pruning. Ballerina® trees produce abundant crops of full-sized, full-flavoured fruit. A certain talking point and feature in any garden!

Ballerina® crabapples, Maypole and Samba, are listed in our ornamental tree section.

Ballerina® Bolero (Tuscan*)
Attractive white tinged pink spring blossom with shining green eating apples with a golden blush. Mid season.

Ballerina® Polka (Trajan*)
Medium sized round fruit with green skin. A red blush develops in areas exposed to the sun. The flesh is crisp and juicy with a very good flavour. Matures mid season.

Ballerina® Waltz (Telamon*)
Medium to large round-conical fruit with a solid red skin on exposed areas. Crisp and juicy with a slight tang these fruit are similar in flavour to Jonathan. Suitable for fresh fruit, drying and cooking. Matures mid season.

 

CHERRIES

Sweet Cherries

The first of the summer fruits. Sweet cherries grow to fairly large trees but can be readily trained or espaliered. They grow best in areas with long cool winters, warm summers and low rainfalls especially during flowering and fruiting. Most are not self fertile.

Bing
High quality, round, large, firm, dark red black fruit. Crisp and sweet. Mid season. Pollinators: Burlat, Lapins and Stella. Only available in 2006 on double grafted trees.

Burlat
Large, heart shaped, very juicy with good flavour. Early season. Pollinators: Bing, Lapins or Stella.

Compact Stella
Heavy and regular bearer of large dark red fruit with firm light red flesh. Self fertile and one of the best known sweet cherries. Grows to around 3m.

Dawson
Super eating black medium size fruit with firm red flesh. Ripens just after Christmas. Pollinators: Lapins or Stella.

Lapins
Large dark red fruit with firm juicy flesh. Self fertile, precocious and now a commercial mainstay in many areas. Mid-late season.

Rainier
Large, super sweet, white fruit with red blush and white flesh. Early to mid season. Pollinators: Lapins or Stella.

Stella
The first true self fertile sweet cherry. Large sweet, dark red fruit. Prolific and regular bearer. Great pollinator. Mid season.

Summit
Very large heart shaped fruit with dark red skin and light red juicy flesh. Popular commercial variety. Early. Pollinators: Lapins or Stella.

Tart Cherries

A rich source of antioxidants and high in compounds with strong anti-inflammatory properties, sour cherries are increasingly becoming known as "The Healing Fruit". The sour cherry makes a smaller spreading tree and bears large crops of tart fruits that are ideal for a host of culinary uses as well as for eating fresh when fully ripe. Easier to grow than sweet cherries. All make attractive specimen trees and can be easily trained. All are also self-fertile and will pollinate sweet cherries.

Montmorency
Most widely grown sour cherry in the USA. Great for cherry pie and juice. Bright red skin with white flesh. Amorelle-type cherry with clear juice.

North Star
Attractive, naturally small tree growing to about 2.5m. Very productive and high health. Often fruit bears in second year. Large, meaty, tart, red skinned fruit with red juice. Self fertile. Morello type.

Oblacinska
From Yugoslavia. Morello type with red skin and flesh. Small tree, ideal for smaller gardens and intensive plantings. Used to make kirsch.

Double grafted Cherries

A superb line of trees with the dual combinations on the one tree. With one variety grafted above the other producing a tiered effect with even growth habit. Excellent for espalier trees. Combinations are designed to meet all pollination issues and give extended fruiting times.


Burlat & Stella
A before and after Christmas combo.


Stella & Lapins
Two of the best quality cherries around- one after the other.


Stella & Rainer
The best white cherry following Stella, the industry standard.

 

CITRUS

 


Most citrus trees are subtropical or tropical and will not tolerate temperatures below -2 C. However there are hardier selections and many preventative measures and cultural practices that can be followed to allow gardeners in many of the temperate regions of New Zealand to grow citrus successfully. Our selections by and large represent hardier forms.

As landscaping and container plants, citrus trees offer year-round attractive form and glossy deep green foliage, fragrant flowers, and decorative fruit in season. For quality fruit, the total amount of heat available through the fruit developing period can be as important as the winter cold in your area.

Lemons

Meyer
Hugely popular selection for garden plantings. Low spreading growth habit with few thorns. Large fruit with a smooth skin and lower acid level than other lemon varieties. Very high juice content. The most cold hardy lemon variety.

Yen Ben
Improved selection of Lisbon lemon with excellent export quality crops of large oval fruit with few seeds. One of the hardiest of lemons and is tolerant of both heat and cold.

Limes

Bearss
A precocious selection of Tahitian lime with small, thin skinned, deep green, turning lime yellow fruit at maturity. Seedless, tangy and very juicy. Needs warmth and frost protection.

Limequats

Eustis
A small tree with an open habit and heavy crops of small, oval, light yellow fruit. The flesh is juicy and acidic with same aromatic flavour as the lime. Very attractive ornamental and the fruit excellent substitute for lemons or limes. Great for container growing. Bring indoors over winter in cold areas.

Mandarins

Encore
Vigorous selection with high ornamental value as well as large crops of firm fleshed, easy to peel fruit. Their flavour is excellent. Long hanging period on the tree.

Miho
Easy peeled, cold hardy Satsuma mandarin with heavy crops of juicy, mild flavoured seedless fruit. Slower growing and well suited to containers. Very early to ripen.

 

Oranges

Cara Cara
Distinctive rich pink flesh. Flavour is low acid and sweet, and has more depth and richness than that of the traditional navel. Virtually seedless.

Harwards Late
NZ selection of Valencia (main commercial) orange with high yields of juicy, thinned skinned fruit with excellent flavour. Larger grower.

Tarocca
Considered the finest quality Mediterranean orange and Italy’s most popular citrus. A blood orange with fine, firm texture & rich sweet flavour. Very juicy and virtually seedless.


Ornamental Citrus

Calamondin Variegated
Highly ornamental and productive citrus with edible small sour orange-like fruit that are great in Oriental cooking. Dwarf growing and striking in pots. A very cold hardy selection

Cipo
A unique weeping selection of orange with largish sweet and juicy fruit with a slight pineapple tangy that are ready from late winter. Ideal for pots and ground cover in warmer areas.


DWARF STONEFRUIT

Ideal for potagers, smaller gardens and container growing. Little pruning is required. At maturity will be no more than 2 metres but bear full size fruit. While most are either fully or partially self-fertile, they will fruit best if another peach or nectarine is in the area.

Dwarf Apricots

Aprigold
Bears full size, early season, highly coloured, tangy flavoursome fruit Grows only to 1.8m. Well suited to warmer areas of NZ.

Golden Glow
Produces early season, full size, golden yellow, juicy fruit. Grows only to 1.5m. Best planted with Aprigold or another apricot selection.

Dwarf Nectarines

Flavourzee
A dwarf nectarine with mid season yellow fleshed fruit of good size and eating quality. Forms a compact bushy habit. Self fertile but best with another nectarine or peach in the vicinity.

Garden Delight
Large juicy freestone fruit with red skin and yellow flesh. A low chilling requirement making Garden Delight ideal for warmer regions. Attractive large pink blossom. Self-fertile.

Nectar Babe
Sweet, yellow, juicy, freestone flesh. Deep pink blossom Low chilling requirement so suitable for the warmer areas of New Zealand. Best planted with Dwarf Peach Honey Babe or near another nectarine or peach to aid pollination.

 

Dwarf Peaches

Bonanza
Yellow freestone peach with red blush. The large fruit is sweet, low in acid, with a mild, refreshing flavour. Highly attractive in both blossom and fruit. Self-fertile.

Garden Lady
Large yellow skinned fruit with sweet, juicy yellow flesh. Freestone. Partially self-fertile.


Honey Babe
Medium to large fruit with orange, sweet juicy flesh and tangy flavour. Showy pink flowers. Fruits best near other peaches or nectarines.


Pixzee
Large red over orange skinned fruit with delicious, firm, yellow flesh. Freestone. Early to ripen. Self-fertile.


Rose Chiffon
This peach delights in both early spring with its beautiful double rose red blossom and again during summer with its bounty of good eating, juicy, white fleshed fruit.


 

FEIJOAS

A distinctive sub tropical fruit that can be grown in most parts of the country, and is becoming a Home Garden favourite. High in vitamins, minerals and other health giving compounds. Easy to grow. Most feijoas benefit greatly from cross-pollination, apart from Unique which is self fertile.

Apollo*
Exceptional size and excellent flavour. Early season. Partially self fertile. Vigorous upright growth habit.

Kakapo
Blocky to oval shape with pale green skin and pleasant mild sweet flavour. Mid season.

Opal Star*
Smooth dark skin with fabulous rich and aromatic flavour. Late season. Compact plant. Ideal for home gardens.

Pounamu
Early feijoa with very dark (greenstone) colour skin. Medium size fruit with rich, smooth, aromatic taste.

Triumph
Medium sized fruit with firm skin and good flavour. Slightly gritty, juicy and moderately soft flesh. Late season.

Unique
First of the season to fruit and self fertile. Quick to bear and prolific. Medium size with smooth, soft and juicy flesh.

WikiTM Tu (Anilvinkoru)*
Huge fruit on a dwarf growing, easily managed tree. Sweet and meaty. Firm texture and keeps well. Ideal for home gardens and container growing. Mid-late season.

 

FIGS

 

Figs are one of the most popular of all fruits and in New Zealand there is a renewed interest. Figs are superb espalier and container specimens and this option of growing is of great appeal especially so in the colder areas of the country. As a general rule of thumb, figs grow well anywhere grapes will grow.

Figs are self-fertile. Some varieties produce two crops- breba (first on last years wood) and main (on new seasons wood). Most need a long hot summer for the fruit to fully mature so plant figs where they receive maximum sunlight. Figs are a culinary delight when eaten fresh but are also popular as a jam, dried, stewed or made into preserves. They are rich in calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C.

 

Brown Turkey
Well known hardy selection with large crops of green figs with distinguishing brown tinge. White to amber flesh. Eats OK but best for culinary uses. AGM

Brunswick
Long brown fig with sweet amber flesh. Good flavour. Light first crop in summer with second main crop in autumn. Cold hardy.

Cape White
Pale green to cream fruit with amber flesh. Smallish and slightly rounded. Makes a superb golden coloured jam. Performing in many warmer areas of New Zealand.

Crnica
Small chocolate-brown fruit. Pulp amber to light red. A heavy single cropper on a small, compact tree.

French Sugar
Large fruit with dark green skin and succulent pale pink flesh. Superb eating. Heavy cropper. Later fruiting.

Lesa
Purple brown stripes on light green skin with amber to pale pink pulp. A sugar fig ideal for eating fresh. Later fruiting.

Mrs Williams
Good quality large fig that is earlier than most. Fruit dark in colour, sometimes purple. Flesh light amber to rich red.

Oakura
Large green fruit with firm rich red flesh. Flavour sweet and smooth texture. Late fruiting. Bold leaves.

Preston’s Prolific
Striking large leaves on vigorous tree. Green fruit matures to purplish brown when ripe. Flesh, thick, creamy white and juicy with a distinctive sweet smell. Recommended for both container growing and espalier.

Robyn
Excellent eating fig well suited home gardens. Similar to Madaleine.

San Pedro 2
Light green, round pear-shaped larger fruit. Cream to pink coloured sweet flesh.

 

LOQUATS

Small, extremely attractive rounded tree deserving of a prominent garden position. Large deep green glossy leaves add a tropical air to the garden and small almond scented flowers delight in winter. Bold in containers. Hardy to -9°C although the flowers are effected by hard frosts. Self- fertile.

Kusunoki
Quality smaller fruit with delicious orange-yellow flesh.

Mogi
Japan’s most popular loquat selection. Smallish easy to peel light yellow sweet fruit early in the season. Best suited warmer areas.

WikiTM Gold
Delicious golden yellow juicy fruit. Fruit of good size with high flesh to stone ratio.

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AGM

Protected by Plant Variety Rights (PVR)
Provisionally protected by Plant Variety Rights (PVR)
Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society

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