Native Plants

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Wednesday - December 08, 2010

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Propagation
Title: Looking for an apple tree to plant in Austin, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

I want to plant an apple tree in my yard that bears fruit and will provide habitat and shade. Are any varieties that will do well in the South Austin area? And do I have to plant two trees to get fruit?

ANSWER:

The only apples native to North America are the Crabapples which are very tart, and different from the apples you probably have in mind. The more than 6,000 varieties of apples available today are decendents of apples that grew in the region between the Caspian and Black Sea in Asia.

This article from Aggie Horticulture tells you about the varieties that are suitable for the area. It deals with the selection of trees , and how to plant them and care for them. It is directed more toward establishing an orchard, but you can extract the information that you need. Additional information about growing apples can be found at this link from associatedcontent.com.. It tells you that apple trees must cross pollinate for optimum production, so you will need to plant two trees.