Columnar Fruit Trees – Home Mini-Orchards

Also known as urban fruit trees, columnar fruit trees are those hybrid species of trees that grow up instead of out, giving the trees a spire shape and a rather elegant appearance. Because the branches are short, the trees are well-suited to small gardens in urban or suburban environments, patios and even balconies and they also make fine alignments and borders in larger spaces.  Besides the practical role they play, these small trees bear an aesthetic potential as well, bringing extra vitality and energy to the small spaces mentioned above. Here are a few more details about columnar fruit trees.

If you want to grow an apple tree on your balcony, then go for the Bolero species. The tree reaches a height of about 250 cm and a width of 30 cm so it is ideal for any corner of the home. It produces medium sized fruit, green or red depending on the exposure to sun, succulent and sweet. The best planting period is March-April with the harvesting period early September. Polka, Samba, Ballerina and Smaragd are other columnar apple trees.

If you prefer apricots, then choose a Golden Sun apricot columnar tree, a self-pollenating species. It grows sweet and intensely flavored apricots. In spring, it blooms in hundreds of beautiful flowers, bringing a splash of colors to those small spaces. Fruits can be harvested mid-July and can be consumed fresh or prepared for jams and other desserts. It grows to a height of about 2-2.5 meters.

Cherries are also an option, with species such as Queen Mary and Victoria among the choices. Growing up to almost 3 meters, these species produce flavored and savory fruits that can be harvested late July. Planting period ranges from February to November.