Other Names:  Ornamental Peach

Description:

An upward growing variety with a dense columnar habit; quite ornamental, with showy pink flowers in spring and a low, spreading habit; susceptible to late spring freezes and disease, needs full sun and well-drained soil

Ornamental Features

Columnar Peach is covered in stunning clusters of fragrant pink flowers along the branches in early spring, which emerge from distinctive rose flower buds before the leaves. The fruits are showy yellow drupes with a red blush, which are carried in abundance in mid summer. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The narrow leaves turn yellow in fall.

This plant is primarily grown as an ornamental, but it's also valued for its edible qualities. The round sweet fruit is most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Canning

Landscape Attributes

Columnar Peach is a dense deciduous tree with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy
• Insects
• Disease

Columnar Peach is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Columnar Peach will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more. While it is considered to be somewhat self-pollinating, it tends to set heavier quantities of fruit with a different variety of the same species growing nearby.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.