Most of the plants that you’ll put in your yard or garden have a one year or less. Trees, however, represent a long term commitment. The type of tree that you choose will be with you for many years to come.
If you’re looking for a tree that will provide a return on that long-term investment, you’ll be looking for a fruit tree. The type of fruit tree you choose will depend on several factors. Consideration #1 – climate.
Apple trees grow well in the northern parts of the US. Drop a little lower and peach and avocado trees are popular. Here in the south, we’ve got citrus trees – orange, lemon, grapefruit. Citrus trees require relatively little maintenance and are fairly tolerant to heat, cold, and drought.
A less tolerant, less well known, but delightful tree is the Lychee tree (inexplicably known as the lychee nut tree among the true southerners). As long as temperatures don’t drop below freezing for more than a few hours in a year, the lychee tree will grow well and produce many seedlings. One nice feature of the lychee is that the aesthetic appeal. The lychee grows its fruit in hard shells (the mythical ‘lychee nuts’) that look a lot like giant, wooden strawberries.
The fruit itself is a delicacy that has never quite caught on in America. What is virtually unknown here is a favorite in Asia. Friends with lychee trees have reported that Asian-Americans have stopped at the house and offered to buy their entire crop on numerous occasions.
If you plant a lychee, that may happen to you, too. But once you get a taste of the wonderful soft fruit, you won’t be willing to give it up.
Whatever type of tree you choose to plant, make sure it is agreeable to your climate and reflects the available space and character of your garden.
