Pollination Charts
Every plant we sell has a bloom group from 1 (very early) to 7 (very late). Groups compare varieties of the same kind of fruit. To compare across kinds, use the bloom calendar below: almonds and apricots open first, then plums and peaches, then pears and cherries, then apples, then quince and medlar.
Pollination charts by fruit
- Apple & Crabapple Pollination Chart
- Pear Pollination Chart
- European Plum Pollination Chart
- Hybrid, Japanese & Native Plum Pollination Chart
- Apricot Pollination Chart
- Peach & Nectarine Pollination Chart
- Sweet Cherry Pollination Chart
- Tart Cherry Pollination Chart
- Grape Pollination Chart
- Raspberry Pollination Chart
- Currant & Gooseberry Pollination Chart
- Walnut & Heartnut Pollination Chart
Bloom calendar across all fruit
| Window | When | What blooms |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Midwinter Pollen Shed | Hazelnut |
| 1 | Earliest Spring | Almond, Maple |
| 2 | Very Early Spring | Apricot, Apricot-Peach Hybrid, Aspen, Buffaloberry, Bush Cherry, Cottonwood, Currant & Gooseberry, Honeyberry, Nanking Cherry, Poplar, Sea Buckthorn, Serviceberry |
| 3 | Early Spring | Hybrid, Japanese & Native Plum, Juniper, Peach & Nectarine, Plum-Apricot Hybrid, Sand Cherry, Willow |
| 4 | Mid Spring | Asian Pear, Blueberry, Dwarf Sour Cherry, European Plum, Huckleberry, Pear, Sweet Cherry, Tart Cherry |
| 5 | Late Spring | Apple & Crabapple, Aronia, Bur Oak, Chokecherry, Hawthorn, Intergeneric Pome, Pawpaw, Red Oak, Siberian Peashrub, Strawberry |
| 6 | Very Late Spring | Hardy Kiwi, Horseradish, Lilac, Mountain Ash, Mulberry, Persimmon, Quince, Rhubarb |
| 7 | Late Spring to Early Summer | Arctic Raspberry, Comfrey, Grape, Korean Stone Pine, Medlar, Ponderosa Pine, Raspberry, Walnut & Heartnut |
| 8 | Early Summer | Asparagus, Elderberry, Goji, Jerusalem Artichoke, Linden, Rugosa Rose, Sumac |
| 9 | No External Bloom | Fig |
Hazelnuts shed pollen in late winter, months before any fruit tree. Walnuts, grapes and raspberries bloom after the tree fruit is done.
Other fruits, nuts and plants
Almond
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SnowCzar Almond | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Needs a partner | Plant a second, different almond nearby as a pollenizer. SnowCzar is a seedling of a self-fertile parent, but it has not been shown to set nuts on its own pollen. |
| Javid's Iranian Almond Seedling | 5 of 7 (Mid-Late) | Needs a partner | Plant at least two of these seedlings, or another almond such as SnowCzar, so each tree has a pollenizer. Each seedling is genetically different, so two seedlings can usually serve as pollenizers for each other. |
Apricot-Peach Hybrid
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill's Nectar Peachcot | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Needs a partner | Fertility of this hybrid is unknown, so plant it near both an apricot and a peach or nectarine to give it the best chance of a pollenizer. |
Arctic Raspberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sophia Groundcover Raspberry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Needs a partner | Plant a different arctic raspberry variety (such as Beta, Anna or Valentina) with Sophia. Two Sophia plants are the same clone and will not pollenize each other, and regular raspberries will not help. |
Aronia
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aronia Berry (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Aronia is self-fertile, so even one plant will fruit. These seedlings differ from each other, so planting the bundle together (or near Viking) can boost yields. |
| Viking Aronia (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Viking is self-fertile, so two plants of it will fruit fine on their own. Adding our seedling Aronia bundle nearby can raise yields. |
Asian Pear
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Apple Pear | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Taylor may set a light crop alone, but plan on a partner for real crops. Choose an early-blooming pear such as Krazulya, Larinskaya or Vekovaya, since Asian pears usually bloom ahead of most European pears. |
Asparagus
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asparagus (Bundle of 25) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Asparagus plants are male or female, but the spears you harvest are young shoots and need no pollination at all. The small summer flowers on the ferns get some bee visits, but asparagus is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Aspen
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aspen (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Aspen trees are male or female and their catkins open very early, before the leaves. You grow it for shade and wildlife, so the sex of your trees does not matter; its wind-shed catkins offer bees only minor early pollen and it is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Blueberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Climate Blueberry Bundle (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Plant all three together. Chippewa can fruit alone but gives bigger berries with a partner, and Polaris or St. Cloud needs a second variety, which the bundle supplies. |
Buffaloberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffaloberry (Bundle of 5) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Buffaloberry plants are either male or female, and only females fruit. Plant all five together so you almost certainly get both sexes. |
Bur Oak
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bur Oak (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Wind-pollinated | Bur oak is wind-pollinated and rarely sets acorns from its own pollen, so plant the three seedlings together for acorns. It is a wildlife tree rather than a bee plant and is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Bush Cherry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan Bush Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Needs a partner | Jan needs a different bush cherry nearby to fruit well. Plant it with Joel or Joy, since two Jan plants are the same variety. |
| Joel Bush Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Needs a partner | Joel crops best with a different bush cherry nearby, so plant Jan or Joy with it. Two Joel plants are the same variety and do not count as a pair. |
| Joy Bush Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Joy can set some fruit on its own, but crops are better with Jan or Joel planted nearby. |
Chokecherry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chokecherry (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | One chokecherry sets some fruit alone, but several plants fruit much better. This bundle gives you genetically different seedlings that pollenize each other. |
Comfrey
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfrey: 5 Root cuttings 4" long | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Comfrey is grown for its leaves and is planted from root cuttings, so it needs no pollination. Its flowers are a good nectar source for bees through much of the summer, but it is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Cottonwood
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Cottonwoods are male or female, and these are male trees, so they will never make cotton or seed, which is the point. They shed wind-blown pollen in early spring, offer bees little, and are not orchard pollenizers. |
Dwarf Sour Cherry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutie Pie Dwarf Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Cutie Pie is self-fertile and will crop on its own. Romeo or Juliet planted nearby can boost the crop. |
| Juliet Dwarf Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Juliet is self-fertile, so one plant will crop on its own. It blooms with Romeo, Cutie Pie and Wowza!, and planting a mix can still help yields. |
| Romeo Dwarf Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Romeo is self-fertile, so one plant will crop on its own. It blooms with Juliet, Cutie Pie and Wowza!, and planting a mix can still help yields. |
| Wowza! Dwarf Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Wowza! is self-fertile and will crop on its own. It blooms with Romeo, Juliet and Cutie Pie, so a mixed planting can help all of them set more fruit. |
Elderberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam's Elderberry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Adams sets some fruit alone, but plant a different elderberry such as John's or Ranch nearby for a much better crop. Two Adams plants are the same clone. Elderberries bloom in early summer, long after apples and plums. |
| Elderberry, American (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | These are different seedlings, so planting the bundle together gives them the cross-pollination they need. They also work as pollenizers for Adams, John's and Ranch. Elderberries bloom in early summer, long after apples and plums. |
| John's Elderberry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | John's sets some fruit alone, but plant a different elderberry such as Adams nearby for a better crop. Two John's plants are the same clone. Elderberries bloom in early summer, long after apples and plums. |
| Ranch Elderberry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Ranch sets some fruit alone, but plant a different elderberry such as Adams nearby for a better crop. Two Ranch plants are the same clone. Elderberries bloom in early summer, long after apples and plums. |
Fig
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Hardy Fig (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Chicago Hardy fig needs no pollination and no partner plant. One plant will fruit on its own. |
Goji
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goji Berry (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Goji sets fruit on its own, so no partner is needed. It keeps flowering through summer, which feeds bees for months. |
Hardy Kiwi
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardy Kiwi Vines (Bundle of 4) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Plant the male (Arctic Beauty) within reach of the female vines, since only females fruit and they need his pollen. It leafs out early, so shelter it from late frost. |
Hawthorn
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawthorne (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Needs a partner | These are seedlings, so the plants in the bundle differ from each other. Plant them near one another for the best berry set. |
Hazelnut
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Hazelnut (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Plant two genotypes | American hazelnut sheds pollen from wind-blown catkins in late winter to earliest spring, long before fruit trees bloom. It needs two genetically different plants to set nuts, and a bundle of 3 seedlings usually covers that on its own. |
| Cortland Hybrid Hazelnut Seedling (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Plant two genotypes | Hybrid hazelnuts shed pollen from wind-blown catkins in late winter to earliest spring, long before fruit trees bloom. They need two genetically different plants to set nuts, and a bundle of 3 seedlings usually covers that (mixing in another hazel lot adds insurance). |
| Hybrid Hazel (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Plant two genotypes | Hazelnuts shed pollen from wind-blown catkins in late winter to earliest spring, long before fruit trees bloom. They need two genetically different plants to set nuts, and a bundle of 3 seedlings usually covers that on its own. |
| PCF Best Hazelnut Seedlings (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Plant two genotypes | Hazelnuts shed pollen from wind-blown catkins in late winter to earliest spring, long before fruit trees bloom. They need two genetically different plants to set nuts, and a bundle of 3 seedlings usually covers that on its own. |
Honeyberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honeyberry (Bundle of 4) | 3 of 7 (Early-Mid) | Needs a partner | Plant the whole bundle together: Aurora needs Tundra nearby to set fruit. If you add more honeyberries later, pick early-to-mid bloomers like Borealis or Indigo types, not the late Boreal series. |
Horseradish
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horseradish | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Horseradish is grown for its root and planted from root cuttings, so it needs no pollination and rarely sets seed. Bees may visit the occasional white flowers, but it is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Huckleberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huckleberry (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Plant all three seedlings together for the best crop. Huckleberries depend heavily on bees, especially bumblebees, to set fruit. |
Intergeneric Pome
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Shipova Pear x Mountain Ash | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Baby Shipova is at least partly self-fertile and will set fruit on its own. It blooms late, with Bosc-season pears. |
| Ivan's Beauty Aronia x Mtn. Ash | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Ivan's Beauty sets fruit on its own, but crops can be spotty because it is only moderately self-fruitful. No tested pollenizer for it is known. |
Jerusalem Artichoke
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeruselam Artichoke (10 Tubers) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Jerusalem artichoke is grown for its tubers, which form underground without any pollination. Its late summer to fall sunflowers feed bees when little else blooms (an early frost can cut that short), but it is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Juniper
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain Juniper (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Rocky Mountain juniper plants are usually either male or female, and only females bear the blue berries, which need a male nearby to supply wind-blown pollen. The seedlings are unsexed, so planting all three gives the best chance of getting both. |
Korean Stone Pine
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korean Stone Pine Seedling (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Wind-pollinated | Korean stone pine is wind-pollinated, so bees play no part and it is not an orchard pollenizer. Plant both seedlings in the bundle near each other for better cone and nut set. |
Lilac
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purple Lilac (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Lilac is grown for its flowers, which open without any pollination, so one plant or three is fine. Butterflies and some bees visit the blooms, but lilac is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Linden
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Linden (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Linden is grown for shade and bee forage, so you do not need a second tree for anything you want from it. Its summer flowers are a top nectar source for honeybees and other pollinators, but it blooms long after fruit trees and is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Maple
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Blaze Maple | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Autumn Blaze is grown for shade and fall color and rarely flowers, so it needs no pollenizer and sets few seeds. It offers bees little and is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Medlar
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain Medlar (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Medlar is self-fertile, so one plant will fruit on its own. Its very late bloom helps it dodge spring frosts. |
Mountain Ash
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Ash (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Needs a partner | Mountain ash flowers are built to favor cross-pollination, so plant the seedlings in the bundle near each other; each one is genetically different. |
Mulberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trader Mulberry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Trader is a female tree that fruits without a male, so one tree is enough. The berries have few or no working seeds. |
Nanking Cherry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian White Nanking Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Plant two genotypes | Nanking cherry needs pollen from a genetically different plant. Plant Ian White with Jules or seedling Nanking cherries, not just two Ian White plants. |
| Jules Nanking Cherry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Plant two genotypes | Nanking cherry needs pollen from a genetically different plant. Plant Jules with Ian White or seedling Nanking cherries. |
| Nanking Cherry (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Plant two genotypes | Each Nanking cherry needs pollen from a different plant. This bundle of seedlings pollenizes itself, and it also pairs with Ian White or Jules. |
Pawpaw
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana Trial Pawpaw (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Plant two genotypes | Plant both seedlings together, since a pawpaw needs pollen from a genetically different tree. Flies and beetles do the work poorly, so hand-pollinating with a small brush helps. |
Persimmon
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persimmon (Montana Trial) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | American persimmon trees are usually male or female, and a seedling's sex is unknown until it flowers. Plant several seedlings together to be sure of getting a female and a male. |
Plum-Apricot Hybrid
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tipson Plumcot | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Needs a partner | Pollination needs are unknown for this new plumcot, so plant an early-blooming Japanese or hybrid plum, or an apricot, nearby. |
Ponderosa Pine
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponderosa Pine (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Wind-pollinated | Ponderosa pine is wind-pollinated and outcrossing, so planting the three seedlings together helps cone and seed set. It offers no nectar for bees and is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Poplar
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid Poplar (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Poplars are male or female trees, and since you grow hybrid poplar for fast shade and windbreak, no pollenizer is needed. It is wind-pollinated, offers bees little, and is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Quince
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aromatnaya Russian Quince | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Aromatnaya is self-fertile, so one tree will fruit. Planting Ravalli Quince nearby should improve crops, since quince pollenizes best with other quince. |
| Ravalli Quince | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | Most quince are self-fertile, but some varieties are not and nothing is known about Ravalli yet, so plant it near Aromatnaya for a sure crop. |
Red Oak
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak, Northern Red (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Wind-pollinated | Northern red oak is wind-pollinated, so plant the three seedlings together for the best acorn crops (acorns take two seasons to ripen). It is a wildlife tree rather than a bee plant and is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Rhubarb
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhubarb (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | No pollination needed | Rhubarb is grown for its leaf stalks, which need no pollination, and extension advice is to cut off flower stalks as soon as they appear. If left, bees will visit the flowers, but rhubarb is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Rugosa Rose
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rugose Rose (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Rugosa rose is self-fertile, so a single plant sets hips, though bees moving pollen between plants can boost the crop. Its long summer bloom feeds bees, especially bumblebees, but it is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Sand Cherry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Cherry (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Partly self-fertile | A single sand cherry sets some fruit, but several plants together crop much better. This bundle of seedlings takes care of that. |
Sea Buckthorn
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea Buckthorn (Bundle of 5) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Sea buckthorn plants are either male or female, and only females fruit. Plant all five together so you almost certainly get both; males supply pollen by wind. |
Serviceberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serviceberry (Bundle of 5) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Serviceberry is self-fertile, and because these are seedlings the plants differ from each other, which helps fruit set. They also pair well with Success. |
| Success Serviceberry (Bundle of 2) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Success is self-fertile, but yields improve with a genetically different serviceberry nearby, such as our seedling Serviceberry bundle. |
Siberian Peashrub
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siberian Peashrub (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Siberian peashrub is bee-pollinated and some references call it self-fertile; it sets plenty of seed, and a bundle of 3 covers any doubt. Its May flowers are good bee forage, but it is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Strawberry
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC Wendy Strawberry (Bundle of 25) | 1 of 7 (Very Early) | Self-fertile | Strawberries set fruit on their own. AC Wendy flowers earliest of the June-bearers, so cover blossoms if frost threatens. Annapolis, another early variety, is the store's suggested partner. |
| Annapolis Strawberry (Bundle of 25) | 2 of 7 (Early) | Self-fertile | Strawberries set fruit on their own; a second variety is optional. Annapolis pairs naturally with AC Wendy. |
| Honeoye Strawberry (Bundle of 25) | 3 of 7 (Early-Mid) | Self-fertile | Strawberries set fruit on their own. Honeoye flowers just before Cavendish, which makes a good second variety for a longer harvest. |
| Cavendish Strawberry (Bundle of 25) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Self-fertile | Strawberries set fruit on their own. Cavendish flowers just after Honeoye, so the two overlap well if you plant both. |
| Sparkle Strawberry (Bundle of 25) | 5 of 7 (Mid-Late) | Self-fertile | Strawberries set fruit on their own. Sparkle blooms late, which helps it dodge spring frost; the store finds it still overlaps Honeoye. |
Sumac
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staghorn Sumac (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Sumac plants are male or female, and only females make the red berry clusters, so plant all three unsexed seedlings to raise the odds of a male nearby. Its early summer flowers are a strong bee plant, but it is not an orchard pollenizer. |
Willow
| Variety | Bloom group | Pollination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peach Leaf Willow (Bundle of 3) | 4 of 7 (Mid) | Male and female plants | Peach leaf willow is a willow, not a peach, and cannot pollenize any fruit tree. Trees are male or female, and their early catkins are a top nectar and pollen source for honeybees and native bees. |
How bloom groups work
Find the variety you want to pollenize in the left column, then read across. Each column is a pollen source. Dark green means the two bloom in the same group, light green means they're one group apart and still overlap. Names with a * have an estimated bloom group.
Bloom groups run 1 (very early) to 7 (very late) within one kind of fruit only. An apple in group 4 and a plum in group 4 don't bloom at the same time. Two varieties within one group of each other overlap enough to pollenize, as long as the pollen is good and they aren't the same clone. Plant partners within about 100 feet so the bees work both.
Where our groups come from: published bloom records first (for apples, measured king-bloom dates from the Apple Biodiversity Collection in Nova Scotia, checked against multi-year nursery and extension groupings), then sourced facts like a sport's parent, then our best estimate from origin and related varieties. Montana springs shift everything earlier or later, but the order holds.