Not everyone has enough yard space for growing fruit so, luckily, there are bush versions of many classic fruit trees. They grow easily in small, sunny spots and stay a manageable size.
Bush cherries, for instance, not only stay shorter than their tree relatives but tend to bloom and produce fruit later in the summer. Beach plums grow into a six-to-10 foot tall shrub that produces one-inch diameter small fruits in August. And the bonfire peach is a dwarf that grows four to six feet tall, is hardy to zone five, and has maroon colored leaves and peaches in late summer.
To hear about more varieties of fruit bushes, listen to this podcast of The Vermont Garden Journal.
Now for this week's tip: Divide bearded iris now to stimulate better flowering next year. Cut back the leaves, dig up the clump and separate the rhizomes tossing any that are soft. Replant in compost-amended soil burying only the bottom of the rhizome and keep well watered.
