Fruits

Even with the limitations of Wyoming’s erratic climate, fruit growing is a lost art worthy of reconsideration, bringing simple pleasures and surprises to all who give it a chance!

New! Comanche Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa ‘Comanche’) Plant Select® 2001! This is the best gooseberry tested at the Cheyenne Experiment station for hardiness, productivity and flavor. It is also relatively free of the cosmetic problem, powdery mildew and resistant to white pine blister rust. It is thorny but the high yield and “sweet” taste make it worth picking while wearing gloves. Originally called English Red Jacket Gooseberry it was brought to the Eastern U. S. by English settlers and its journey continued with a move to Indian Country, rediscovery and collection for trials in Cheyenne. Uses go beyond jelly and pie into wildlife food and shelter also as a garden barrier these prickly shrubs will keep exuberant marauding dogs out of a garden! Height: 3’-4’ Width: 3’-4’. Zone 3 + Full sun Size: 1 Gallon RUCG-S Cost: $13.75

Gwen’s Buffalo Currant (Ribes aureum ‘Gwen’s Buffalo) A selection of a Wyoming native only this one has better fruit production! Very fragrant yellow blooms appear in spring followed by black tear drop edible fruit. Autumn color ranges from wonderful oranges to reds. Tolerates wind and dry soils very well! An excellent shrub for seasonal interest. Height 5 – 6’, width 5 – 6’ Shape: Vase Zone 3 Full sun Size: 1 Gallon RAGB-S1 Cost: $12.50 Size: 5 Gallon RAGB-S5 Cost: $36.50

Crandall Clove Currant (Ribes odoratum ‘Crandall’) Another selection of a Wyoming native with outstanding attributes for our area! In spring, the yellow trumpet-shaped flowers have a strong clove fragrance followed by up to 3/4” black fruit that have a sweet spicy fragrance! Light green tri-lobed foliage turns orange in autumn. This shrub was selected by fruit growers beginning in the late 1800’s for its excellent fruit quality and is still used today! Tolerates wind and dry soils very well! Height: 4 – 6’ Width: 4’-6’ Shape: Open arching Zone 4 Full Sun Size: 1 Gallon ROCC-S Cost: $12.50 Size: 5 Gallon ROCC-S Cost: $36.00

Canada Red Chokecherry & Yellow-fruited Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana melancarpa 'Canada Red' and P.v. 'Yellow Fruited') Shrub form Fragrant white flowers in pendulous racemes appear in spring, followed by fruit you and the birds will fight over (homemade jelly!) Both the statewide native green leafed form and the maroon leafed Canada Red grow in some very rugged conditions! The yellow fruited is the same except that it was found growing outside Sheridan and gives the appearance of a bright second bloom in late July and August. (Birds aren’t as tuned in to seek out that color to eat.) Either is an excellent choice for a screen or windbreak because of fast growth. Both forms sucker so planting in an area that allows for new plants to spring up only adds to the screening effect! Height 15 – 25’ Width 15 – 20’ shape: Broad Oval Zone 2 Full sun to part shade Size: 1 Gallon Green-T or Yellow-T Cost: $13 Size: 5 Gallon Cost: $38

Silver Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea) Native tree-like shrub with silvery foliage and thorny branch tips. Yellow flowers in spring are followed by orange-red berries for jelly or birds on female plants. Must have a male plant to pollinate. Outstanding as an accent shrub where slivery foliage is desired, in a windbreak or as wildlife cover and food. Height: 10’-15’ Width: 10’-12’ Shape: Rounded Zone 2 Full sun Size: 1 Gallon SASB-S Cost: $12 Size: 5 Gallon Cost: $35

‘Issai’ Hardy Kiwi (Actindia arguta ‘Issai’) Hardiest Arctic Kiwi, self pollinating vine produces sweet seedless green fruit on mature plants without a male pollinator and a more prolific crop of larger seeded fruit with cross pollination . Provide a fence or trellis for support. Vines up to 20’ by 3’ width from one plant. Zone 3 + Full sun to part sun Size: 1 Gallon AAHK-V Cost: $13.50

New! Golden Elderberry (Sambucus Canadensis ‘Aurea’) For the impatient gardener, this shrub grows rapidly into a bright golden foliaged accent in the landscape. (More than one plant must be planted for pollination for fruit set. Also be sure to water well during blooming and fruit development.) Fragrant, white, flat-headed flower clusters bloom in early summer followed by black, juicy, edible fruits. Not for the windiest sites but otherwise suited for fast screens and color contrast and for fruit production (jelly, wine and pie) and wildlife food. Height: 8’+ Width: 8’-12’ Shape: Broad Rounded Zone 3 Full sun Size: 1 Gallon SCGE-S-1 Cost: $12.00 Size: 1 Gallon SCGE-S-5 Cost: $34.50

Raspberries (Rubus species) ‘Autumn Britten’ An extra large sweet red raspberry, it starts bearing two weeks earlier than Heritage, the standard for which all other hardy red raspberries are judged. Golden fruited ‘Anne’ is everbearing, highly branched with excellent flavor and sweetness. You don’t see the golden ones at the stores because they don’t travel well. They hold together well enough to go from garden to table but they taste so good many will never make it that far! For both raspberries, cut back the old canes in early spring as fruit develops on new wood. Zone 4 + Full sun Size: 1 Gallon RSAB (Autumn) Cost: $13.45 Size: 1 Gallon RSAG (Golden) Cost: $13.45

Valiant grape (Vitis ‘Valiant’) This is the grape to cover an arbor going through hot summers and bitterly cold winters without dieback. It was developed at South Dakota State University on the plains and has been proven reliable in Casper. The yield is earlier than Concord and the semi-sweet fruit is very plentiful so you can really make jelly and jam and homemade raisins, too! This medium sized clustered blue grape is so vigorous that you don’t need to prune the vines back to twelve buds to maximize fruit production and quality. Just let it go to the size you want and enjoy! Zone 3 Full sun Size: 1 Gallon VGW-V Cost: $13

New! St. Theresa Seedless Grape Plant Select® 2008 Excellent flavor characterizes this purple slip-skin table grape from Elmer Swenson’s breeding trials in Wisconsin. Ripening in early September, fruit may contain a crunchy bit small enough to still allow the “seedless” designation. Tolerant of alkaline soil, the vine is vigorous enough for wonderful arbor coverage and for screens. Zone 4 Full sun Size: 1 Gallon VSTG Cost: $13.80

Swenson Red Grape (Vitis ‘Swenson Red’) Developed by Elmer Swenson from the University of Wisconsin, this vine is winter hardy and a great choice if your palate craves red grapes in salads or for dessert! The fruit is large, round, red, and crisp with a high sugar content and non-slip skins. Zone 4 Full sun Size: 1 Gallon VSSR Cost: $12.50

New! Flambeau Seedless Grape (Vitis ‘Flambeau Seedless’) Seedless, pink grape with medium sized berries that have very sweet, low acid flavor. A great table grape for us—but not a grape for Arbors. Another grape developed by the most prolific cold hardy grape breeder, Elmer Swenson. Height: 2-4’ Width: 3-6’ Shape: Upright spreading Zone 4 Full sun Size: 1 Gallon VFFG Cost: $13

Roses

You have to grow these beauties! We feature roses developed at the Morden Experiment Station on the plains of Canada that are wind, alkaline soil, and winter tolerant. There is no need to mound soil over a graft or to lay canes down and cover for winter. These all grow on their own roots and any winter die-back doesn’t remove varietal character. They, climbers included, bloom on new wood so a bad winter never results in a year without blooms.

Put the rose spray and dust away, they are disease resistant and we’ve not seen cane borers bother these either. Bloom season is from summer to frost with just a bit of a slump during the hottest part of July. Leave the late season blooms on the plants to develop large, showy rose hips for winter color and to encourage canes to harden off before winter.
Pruning is best left until April to remove any die-back. These are truly easy care! Consider surrounding your plants with nepeta, thyme, oregano and agastaches to keep the deer at bay and to provide shaded soil for the rose plants. Full sun, to , water during periods of peak bloom in hot, drying winds.


For more information and pictures of the Canadian roses, go to www.canadianrosesociety.org and click on Hardy Roses.

Parkland Series —Bush and Shrub Roses Zone 3

photo by Arnold Pittao

Adelaide Hoodless Extremely floriferous vigorous arching stemmed shrub that develops beautiful form over several years.  Foliage is a fine-textured dark green, slightly fragrant blooms are  in clusters of up to 25 semi-double darkest pink to bright red flowers, hips are orange. Resistant to powdery mildew. 2 Gallon container   Cost:  $19.00

Photo by Arnold Pittao

New! Morden Snowbeauty Lightly fragrant continuously flowering semi-double white blooms are clustered over glossy dark green foliage. As a 3.5’ tall by 2.5’ wide bush this one fits in most garden spaces and is highly resistant to black spot and powdery mildew, too. 2 Gallon container   Cost: $19.00

Photo by Canadian Rose Society

New! Morden Blush At 2.5’ tall by 1.5’ wide, this little gem is very classic in form. Plentiful pointed buds open into semi-double lightest blush pink, sweetly scented flowers followed by orange hips in fall. The longest blooming Morden rose, this one is resistant to powdery mildew and black spot. 2 Gallon container   Cost: $19.00

Photo by Arnold Pittao

Cuthbert Grant Fragrant, velvety crimson red 4” double flowers on dark green broad, upright 3-4’ by 3-4’ medium sized shrub. Recurrent bloom (First flush in June then repeated late July to frost.) 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

Photo by Arnold Pittao

Morden Fireglow Unique bi-color 3” double flowers are fiery orange with red reverse on a 2’ by 1.5’ dark green upright bush . Enjoy the lightly fragranced show from early summer to frost. 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

Photo by Arnold Pittao

Morden Sunrise If you love Peace Rose this fragrant beauty is for you! Bright yellow-orange buds become 3” semi-double open-faced flowers with wavy orange petals grading to clear yellow at the base where orange stamens add to the show. Foliage is glossy, dark green on this 3’ by 3’ compact rounded Everblooming plant. 2 Gallon container   Cost: $23.50

Winnipeg Parks This is perhaps the most planted Parkland rose. The fully double 3 inch recurrent blooms are a bright fuchsiaburgundy shade that pop out against medium green foliage trimmed in reddish edges and with reddish new growth. We’ve seen a young bush with nine blooms at once plus unopened buds! These compact rounded almost 3 foot tall bushes have big rose hips added for winter interest. 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 21.50

Morden Centennial Vivid pink buds open into 4” double, lightly fragranced blooms recurring from June until frost. At 4-6’ by 4-6’ this rounded shrub is the biggest of the Morden Experiment station beauties unless you prune for size control. Abundant orange rose hips add striking winter interest. 1 Gallon container Cost: $ 13.00, 2 Gallon Cost: $19

Canadian Explorer Series: Hardy to Zone 2

Photo by Arnold Pittao

New! David Thompson A compact 3’ tall by 2.5’ wide disease resistant upright bush blooming continuously with clusters of fragrant double rosy pink blooms. Presents a great show for such a modest sized plant! 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

Photo by Canadian Rose Society

Henry Kelsey This 6’ pillar rose with clusters of 9 to 15 deep burgundy 2” double blooms with bright gold stamens is a spicy fragranced recurrent bloomer—from June to frost.. Don’t prune late season blooms and enjoy clusters of small orange hips until birds have a winter snack. (Wax wings are fond of these.) 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

Photo by Arnold Pittao

John Cabot Vigorous 8-10’ climber or pillar with arching stems and 2½” fuchsia pink double fragrant blooms may have a few splashes of white on the petals in summer. This recurrent bloomer—June to frost —will need some post winter pruning but a few minutes’ snipping is no big deal compared to the summer display! 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

Photo by Canadian Rose Society

John Davis Reddish trailing branches on this 6’ climber present profuse spicy fragranced pink flowers over a long bloom season. 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

Photo by Arnold Pittao

New! J.P. Connell Vigorous 3’-5’ dark green disease resistant upright shrub, recurrent in bloom habit with fragrant lemon yellow flowers that fade to creamy white 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

Photo by Canadian Rose Society

William Baffin This easily trellised arching 6-10’ pillar rose is the hardiest from a favorite grower. Really large clusters of 2.5” clear pink slightly fragranced semi-double blooms are recurrent from June to September. 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

More hardy roses

Photo by Arnold Pittao

Marie Bugnet A bushy and compact 3’ by 3’ shrub, this very fragrant everblooming rugosa cross bearing large ruffled white double blooms and wrinkly classic rugosa foliage fits in small spaces near doors and patios where you will appreciate the scent more! Zone 3 hardy. 2 Gallon container   Cost: $ 19.00

Evergreen Trees and Shrubs

Wichita Blue Rocky Mountain Juniper is an excellent cultivar of the native Juniperus scopulorum. Call it tough as nails and winter worthy , once it is established it is very drought and wind resistant! Wichita Blue has feathery, silvery-blue foliage in an open, broad conical form. Female trees will provide birds with plenty of bluish berries for winter food. Classic windbreak. Height: 6-18” Width: 6-8’ Shape: spreading Zone 3 Full sun Size: 5 Gallon JSWB-T Cost: $61

New! Woodward Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum ‘Woodward’) This bright green single-leader upright hales from the Cheyenne Experiment Station and is very narrow in growth habit reminding us of a roman presence. This is the first time that Woodward has been offered in the trade and we’re delighted in introducing it! Great for vertical accent or formal Screening in narrow spaces. Privacy is possible in smaller residential lots! Height: 12’-20’ Width: 2’-4’ Shape: Narrow columnar Zone 3 Full Sun Size: 5 Gallon JSWR-T Cost: $55

New! Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Glauca’) This is the dry air western form native to Wyoming, not the coastal selection. Growth form is a symmetrical pyramid slowly maturing to 50’ with soft shiny blue needles (not sharp pokey needles like on Spruces). The species has been under-utilized as a landscape plant but those planted around the area or naturally occurring in the mountains are healthy and look unaffected by the recent drought and extra-windy years. Windbreak. Height: 12’-20’ Width: 2’-4’ Shape: Narrow columnar Zone 4 Full Sun Size: 5 Gallon PMDF-T Cost: $36

Table Top Blue Juniper (Juniperus Scopulorum ‘Table Top Blue’) Upright, yet spreading and flat-topped (now that’s an oxymoron!). Foliage is the soft-scale type (not prickly like common pfitzer) bright blue-gray in color. Handles wind and when established, drought too! This native sport is not an imported disease and damage–prone selection. This is a big bold statement of a shrub perfect on a slope or for privacy without blocking out the sky like a tree. Windbreak and screen. Height: 6’-8’ Width: 6’-10’ Shape: Upright spreading Zone 3 Full sun Size: 5 Gallon JSTT-S Cost: $48.50

‘Effusa’ Juniper (Juniperus communis ‘Effusa’) Look for this low-growing mounding Juniper with stiff, spreading branches on the forest floor in the partial to full shade of evergreens and on the edge of mountain meadows. Foliage is bright green awl-shaped needles with a whitish streak. Winter color may be slightly brownish. This is a female cultivar, not a pollen-bearer. Low water need. Height: 6’-8’ Width: 6’-10’ Shape: Upright spreading Zone 4 Full sun Size: 1 Gallon JCEJ-S Cost: $16.50

© Bruce Rabeler

One Seed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma) Grayish-green to bluish foliage creates an irregularly rounded upright tree with stout reddish brown barked branches that turn up at the ends. Globular, one seeded pulpy fruits with dark blue waxy skin mature to copper toned bird food. Mature height is 10-30’ spreading from 6-12’ wide. Plant in full sun in locations receiving very low water. (Water carefully during establishment to encourage strong root growth without overwatering and rotting roots.) Height: 10-30’ Width: 6’-12’ Shape: Upright spreading Zone 3 Full sun Size: 5 Gallon JMOS-T Cost: $42.50

Utah Juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) This drought tolerant single or multiple trunked upright Juniper has yellow-green foliage and may produce berries that are brown with a blue coating. Like most Junipers this one is drought and alkaline soil tolerant, requiring low water and full sun. Walk the area above Fremont Canyon at Alcova to find these. Zone 3 Full sun Size: 5 Gallon JOUJ-T Cost: $42.50

Rain Gauge

Throughout this site, the following are used as guidelines for watering established plants:

These plants need regular watering somewhat like a bluegrass lawn so that they never dry to depth in the root system during the active growing season and need occasional winter watering to prevent root dessication and resultant plant death.

  These plants are adapted to intermittent deep watering with soil drying to a depth of a few inches between waterings. Watering frequency may be every couple of weeks during the active growing season and maybe only one winter watering for optimal care.

  These truly xeric plants can live with our 12 inches of natural precipitation and only need a winter watering during a multi-year drought but they will thrive with a monthly watering. Overwatering will kill some of these.