Key considerations
Stone fruit grow best on a warm, sunny site with protection from the wind.
The soil should be free-draining, fertile and moist.
Plant your stone fruit with 2 to 3m between them, so that they have plenty of space once they're mature.
Stone fruit are frost hardy, however, their blossoms may be damaged by late spring frosts. If your site is frost prone, stone fruit are not advisable.
We recommend
Apricot trees
Most varieties of apricot trees need cold winter temperatures to set the fruit buds.
- Size
Mature trees can grow up to 3.5m high and 3.5m wide, and dwarf trees to 2m high and 2m wide.
- When to prune
Unlike most fruit trees, you should prune apricot trees in summer.
- Pollination
Apricot trees are self-fertile and don't need pollination, but they will benefit from having a 'buddy' apricot planted nearby.
Apricot varieties
Variety name |
Description |
Month fruit is ripe |
Apricot Fitzroy |
NZ variety, medium sized, good crops – needs any apricot buddy for pollination |
February |
Apricot Garden Annie |
Sweet, juicy, yellow fruit |
February |
Apricot Royal Rosa |
Early season, heavy crops |
February |
Apricot Sundrop |
Sweet, juicy, yellow fruit, good crops |
December |
Apricot Trevatt |
Great flavour – for best pollination, plant with Apricot Sundrop buddy |
January |
Plum trees
- Size
Mature trees can grow up to 5m high and 5m wide, and dwarf trees to 3.5m wide and 3.5m high.
- When to prune
Winter, when the tree is dormant.
- Pollination
It is important to pay close attention to the pollination requirements of plum trees – these are outlined in the table below.
Note:
There are a few fruit varieties such as the European and Japanese plum which, even if they blossom at the same time, will not pollinate each other.
Plum varieties
Buddy number & Variety |
Description |
Pollination notes |
Month fruit is ripe |
(1) Plum Billington |
Red flesh, keeps well |
Self-fertile, benefits from plum buddy 2 or 7 |
December |
(2) Plum Black Doris |
Freestone, very firm, jam |
Plant with plum buddy 1 or 9 |
February |
(3) Plum Duff’s Early Jewel |
Small fruit, red skin |
Self-fertile, benefits from plum buddy 9 |
January |
(4) Plum Elephant’s Heart |
Large, red skin |
Plant with plum buddy 7, 9 or 11 |
March |
(5) Plum Luisa |
Super sweet, hardy |
Self-fertile, no buddy needed |
February |
(6) Plum MacVerna |
Red-black skin, sweet |
Plant with plum buddy 1 or 13 |
February |
(7) Plum Omega |
Late, heavy crops, freestone |
Plant with plum buddy 4, 5 or 9 |
April |
(8) Plum Purple King |
Purple skin, yellow flesh, needs pollinator |
Plant with plum buddy 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13 |
February |
(9) Plum Santa Rosa |
Hardy, vigorous, tasty |
Self-fertile, benefits from plum buddy 4 or 7 |
January |
(10) Plum Satsuma |
Medium sized, good crop |
Self-fertile, benefits from plum buddy 9 |
February |
(11) Plum Sultan |
Red flesh, heavy crops |
Self-fertile, benefits from plum buddy 4, 5, 7 or 9 |
January
|
(12) Plum Victoria Sinclair |
Heavy crops, hardy |
Self-fertile, no buddy needed |
March |
(13) Plum Wilson’s Early |
Yellow flesh |
Plant with plum buddy 3 |
December |
Gage trees
Gage are similar to plums, but have a smaller fruit.
- Size
Mature trees can grow up to 5m high and 5m wide.
- When to prune
Winter, when the tree is dormant.
- Pollination
It is important to pay close attention to the pollination requirements of gage trees – these are outlined in the table below.
Gage varieties
Buddy number & Variety |
Description |
Pollination notes |
Month fruit is ripe |
(1) English Greengage |
Very sweet, medium-sized green gage |
Plant with gage buddy 2 |
February |
(2) Gage Coe’s Golden Drop |
Late season, stores well, small yellow gage |
Plant with gage buddy 1 or 2 |
March |
(3) Reineclaude du Bavay |
Very sweet, late season, medium yellow / green gage |
Self-fertile, but benefits from any gage buddy |
March |
Nectarine trees
- Size
Mature trees can grow up to 5m high and 4m wide.
- When to prune
Winter, when the tree is dormant.
- Pollination
Nectarine trees are self-fertile, and don't need pollination.
Nectarine varieties
Variety name |
Description |
Month fruit is ripe |
Nectarine Goldmine |
White fleshed, sweet, juicy, good crops |
January |
Nectarine Snow Queen |
Red skin, white flesh, flavourful, frost-tolerant |
December |
Nectarine Theo Ching |
Red skin, white flesh, flavourful |
February |
Peach trees
- Size
Mature trees can grow up to 4.5m high and 4.5m wide, dwarf trees to 2m high and 2m wide.
- When to prune
Winter, when the tree is dormant.
- Pollination
Peach trees are self-fertile and don't need pollination.
Peach varieties
Variety name |
Description |
Month fruit is ripe |
Peach April White |
Large white-fleshed peach. Plentiful crops |
March |
Peach Blackboy |
Purple skin and flesh, heavy crops, good fresh and bottled |
March |
Peach Briggs Red May |
Rich, juicy flavourful, early season |
January |
Peach Golden Queen |
Golden skin and flesh, firm, flavourful, good fresh and bottled |
March |
Peach Gordon’s Glory |
Golden skin and flesh, flavourful, late season |
March |
Peach Mayflower |
Very early, white fleshed, flavourful – rare |
December
|
Peach Paragon |
Yellow flesh and skin, juicy, good fresh and bottled |
February |
Peach Wiggins |
Large, white flesh, hardy, heavy crops, early season |
January |
Peach Yumyeong |
White flesh, tropical flavour, large, late season |
March |
Prune trees
Prunes are great dried, fresh, baked or cooked.
- Size
Mature trees can grow up to 5m high and 5m wide.
- When to prune
Winter, when the tree is dormant.
- Pollination
Prune trees are self-fertile and don't need pollination, but they will benefit from having a 'buddy' prune, gage or plum planted nearby.
Prune varieties
Prune variety name |
Description |
Month fruit is ripe |
Prune Cacak Best |
Large, blue-black colour |
February |
Prune Italian |
Most popular, purple skin with yellow flesh |
March |
Prune Richard's Early Italian |
Heavy crops, sweet, purple skin with yellow flesh |
February |
Prune Stanley |
Large, juicy and sweet |
February |
Prune Wangenheim |
Small and sweet with dark red skin |
February |