In the fall when I plant my fruit trees, I am going to order them from www.tytyga.com. They are located in georgia and their website has LOTS of interesting things. I am ordering their Chinese strawberry trees which sound like a lot of fun.

I'd be interested to know of other good fruit tree nurseries in the birmingham area though

Hi Andrew!

First of all, "Welcome!" to the GardenWeb and, in particular, the Alabama Forum!

Secondly, click on the link below to realize one of the many "benefits" of membership! Most of us have either fallen victim to TyTy or come very close to it. Consider yourself warned....

Nice to have you here!

Nelson

Here is a link that might be useful: Don't Order From These Idiots!!!!!!

Wow! Maybe I won't order trees from TyTy then . . . .

Thanks for the heads up and the warm welcome here. As a transplant from colorado, I am really enjoying my first summer gardening in this lush paradise!

~Andrew~

Petals from The Past has the best selection of fruit trees and other smaller fruit than I have seen elsewhere as well as knowledgeable people to steer you the right direction. What I like especially is that they only try and stock the things most likely to do well here in central Alabama. It's worth a drive there but you'll leave shy on cash, I can guarantee it. I have to force myself to stay away sometimes.Get a couple figs while you're there too, I think they are only $6-$7 and are easy to grow! Mike in Shelby County

Try the following:

Classical Fruits
8831 AL Hwy 157
Moulton, AL 35650
Telephone: 256-974-8813
Fax: 256-974-4060
www.classicalfruits.com

I'm fond of Stark Brothers. My apple tree is going like gangbusters. Plus, if you're not completely happy with your purchase if you notify them within a year they say they'll refund your money or send a replacement.

Classical Fruits has an Apple Tasting in late September that is really something to check out. We went up there a few years ago and really enjoyed trying the wide variety of apples they grow on their premises. Up until then, I thought all of the apples grown in Alabama were awful -- most of the ones sold at roadside stands where I live are hard as rocks and not very tasty. They have lots of fruit trees to choose from and also have a mail order catalogue.

You can get blueberry bushes from just about any nursery in Birmingham and often at Home Depot and Lowe's. It's best to do your research on apples before purchasing a tree for Bama, because not all do well here...

Andrew, TyTy has probably the worst reputation of any mail order nursery! Their online catalogue is a riot, though... They actually have photos of their alleged plants juxtaposed with things like terrorist explosions. Surf through their links, for your amusement!!!

I'll second the vote for Classical Fruits. Bought some trees from 'em years ago, and they're doing just fine up here in KY. The late Hoyt Adair, who started CF, was a very knowledgeable nurseryman and orchardist, and the varieties that they offer have been proven to be productive in AL - which is something you can't say for a lot of the fruit trees sold at the big box stores, and frequently can't determine from descriptions in some of the reputable fruit nursery catalogs.

Avoid TyTy - and any of its incarnations (Aaron's, Patrick's, etc.) - like the plague, though it is OK to browse their catalog merely for amusement's sake.

A good place on the internet to get fruit and blueberry plants is the johnson nursery over in Georgia. A good source of information on plants that do well in Bama is the Alabama Cooperative Extension website(aces.edu.).
Hope this is of some help.

The NAFEX website has a good listing of fruit nurseries, linked below.
Southern nurseries that I've ordered from personally, or received good reviews on from trusted friends & fruit growers, include Johnson, Lawson's, Classical Fruits, Big Horse Creek, Vintage Virginia Apples, Orchard Lane Growers, and Edible Landscaping.

Here is a link that might be useful: NAFEX nursery list

Jackie,
I just got a flyer in the mail from Hannanh's Garden Shop on 280. They have a buy 1 get 1 free sale on fruit trees and roses (except Knock Out roses) and a buy 2 get one free deal on perennials. The sale ends Aug. 31.
Susan.

I was not surpried when I read that all apple trees do not do well in Alabama. I have had an apple tree planted for 7 years. When I planted it is was about 3 years old. I have never had one blossom on it. My pear trees do fine and I even had a bumper crop of pears this year, but no apples. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can get this apple tree to produce. It's been so long since I planted it that I don't even remember what variety I bought. I'm new here in the gardenweb.

Some species of fruit trees are not self-pollinating. You need to have more than one tree in order to get blossoms and fruit.

If I have to explain pollination and the birds and bees to you, I think you are too young for this forum.

does anyone else think that last comment was unnecessary?

Number of trees has nothing to do with blossoming but MAY affect polination, depending on variety. My apple trees bloomed very sparingly and my pear trees didn't bloom at all this spring. They require a certain number of hours of cold weather in winter to produce next spring and we had a very mild winter with only a few very cold days, and not many cold days in succession. Each variety has different requirements.

I appreciate everyones comments about my fruit tree. Learned a lot. This year I'm going to put fruit stakes around the bottom of the tree and hope we get some really cold days. Thanks again Oh and I do know what pollination is..

Raccoon,
Don't waste your money on those 'fruit tree stakes'. Most fruit trees don't really even need fertilizing - and if you're giving them a high-nitrogen fertilizer, it may just compound your problem with it NOT fruiting - if you're 'pushing' vegetative growth, there's no impetus for your tree to switch over to the 'production' mode.
Again, as TedP indicated, some apple varieties require more chill-hours than they'll get in the Deep South; reputable nurseries shouldn't sell high-chill varieties to folks in low-chill areas.

Have you tried Segar's in Bessemer on 19th St. and about 11th Ave.?

Lucky thanks for the comment about the fruit tree stakes. Maybe that is what I've been doing wrong too much nitrogen...And then again I don't even remember where I got the tree, or what variety it is. I would love it if we had a really cold winter...But somehow I don't think that is going to happen.

We're having trouble with our apple tree here in Jackson,MS. Our Shiro plum is doing well,but the red plum won't do a thing. Our apple is a dwarf with two kinds of apples on it from Stark Bros. We got a couple of blooms and nothing else. Any ideas? We're from B'ham and miss home a lot.