One common complaint from home growers is that apples fail to bear fruit after the blossoms wither. Plums, almonds and cherries can also be grown in gardens but require more attention to pests and diseases. A decade ago, during a summer holiday in France, I was walking through a village in the Loire valley and, being horticulturally nosy, I became engrossed with what was being grown in the back gardens. For advice on pruning fruit trees as well as comprehensive articles on gardening and backyard design visit  Complete Home. We sell some fruit trees, shrubs and vines as seed. This was not always the case. There are many pests and diseases that affect apples and other fruit trees, so it’s best to refer to a specialist pest and disease identification book such as Judy McMaugh’s garden classic, What Garden Pest or Disease is That? Other cool climate fruit and nut trees worth considering include the persimmon, pistachio, quince and walnut. The hazelberts and plum trees are doing very well, very hardy plants compared to other nurseries. The seeds — known in Chinese as “chicken tongue” — vary in size, and the edible sweet, white portion marginally varies in taste. A close Chinese relative of the lychee is the longan (Dimocarpus longan). This slow-growing cultivar makes a low-growing tree, so is suitable for smaller gardens. The longan — or “dragon eye” — is a tree that produces clusters of brown fruit similar in size to ping-pong balls. Fleming’s Nurseries are the best known local grower of deciduous trees and have an informative website at www.flemings.com.au. While all apples have beautiful spring blossoms, the crabs have the most spectacular flowering of any fruit tree and are often grown just for this attribute. So the following selections are based on the three general climate types found in Australia. In temperate areas, this Australian native evergreen tree will reach around eight … Hardy palms are any of the species of palm that are able to withstand brief periods of colder temperatures and even occasional snowfall. A deep border planted with geums, salvias, fennel, euphorbia and japonica makes an eye–catching display year–round. Macadamias can be grown in most parts of Australia, but in southern cooler winter areas they require plenty of sun. Pome and stone fruits and other cold-climate delicacies. Why not grow your own to make the best organic jelly, which can be served with lamb or used to glaze fruit tarts. ,December 14, 2010. The WellBeing Team The perfect way to get the kids eating refreshing fruit this summer! Fax: (03) 9752 0005, General: mail@flemings.com.au The pawpaw (Carica papaya) demands warm conditions to produce fruit, so should not be considered for temperate sites in the south. Longan varieties worth trying include Kohala, Dang and Haew. P.O.Box 1 As with the olive, make sure to select named varieties. For those living in the north of Australia, apples, pears and cool-climate stonefruit are out of the question. — but especially by climate. One of the most inbred food plants in the world, the banana has lost its ability to produce seed, so plants are often based on clones. Rather than grow the commonly available types found in the shops, why not try growing a less common variety such as Cox Orange Pippin, Gravenstein or Pomme de Neige. There are many other productive trees suitable for cold winter areas. Although not as popular as lychee, longan trees are far more ornamental in habit than their Chinese cousins and make ideal home orchard plants. The choice of what fruit tree is limited not only by your fruit preference — why grow a fruit you don’t want to eat? This super-comforting rice pudding is vegan-friendly and is the perfect summer dessert to take advantage of mango season. One of the joys of the avocado is the plant has few pests — even fruit fly has trouble piercing the thick skin. But beware some ornamental crabs are sterile and don’t produce fruit.