Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
From: Marana, AZ
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Problems with non-native semi-dwarf peach tree
Answered by: Barbara Medford
Mr. Smarty Plants learns something new every day, and today we learned there was such a thing as a semidwarf peach tree. We also learned that this tree is a smaller selection or cultivar of Prunus persica. There are a number of members of the Prunus genus in our Native Plant Database: Prunus americana (American plum), Prunus caroliniana (Carolina laurelcherry), Prunus emarginata (bitter cherry), Prunus fasciculata (desert almond), Prunus pensylvanica (pin cherry), Prunus texana (peachbush) and Prunus virginiana (chokecherry), but, alas, no Prunus persica, peach, which is believed to have originated in China but, like most food plants, has been hybridized and grafted so many times there is no determining the real parentage. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is focused on the use, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown, so we really can't help you.
We did, however, find this website from eHow How to Grow Semidwarf Peach Trees, that can possibly give you some leads. Pima County, on the south central border of Arizona, is in USDA Hardiness Zones 8b to 10. We would recommend you contact the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office for Pima County, and see if they have some idea what is going on with your peach tree.
Response to previous answer on non-native cacti
March 15, 2008 - Hi Mr. SmartyPlants,
Santa Barbara here, again. Thanks for all your effort, especially as it falls outside of the Center's general expertise. That Cacti.com is amazing and I found the answer in the...
view the full question and answer
Eliminating non-native Asian Jasmine in Austin
December 02, 2010 - I have a large bed in front of the house full of jasmine that was planted by the builder 25 years ago. What suggestions do you have to eliminate it and prepare the bed to plant native flowers and pl...
view the full question and answer
Failure to thrive of non-native closet plant
August 26, 2008 - I have a closet plant that is not doing well no matter what I do or where I put it. What is the best way to care for one of these beautiful plants?
view the full question and answer
Transplanting non-native mimosas in Braintree MA
August 10, 2010 - I want to transplant some baby mimosa trees. Have tried in past and they just die.
view the full question and answer
Can bougainvillea be grown in Las Cruces, NM?
May 05, 2010 - Can bougainvillea be grown in Las Cruces, NM?
view the full question and answer
![]() |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |