Columnar fruit is not only trendy in particularly small gardens or when planting on balconies, after all, it can also be used to achieve considerable yields even in confined spaces. Gardeners are now spoiled for choice when it comes to this type of plant, as quite a few types of fruit are now available as columnar fruit trees.
What types of columnar fruit are there?
Popular columnar fruit varieties are columnar cherries like “Karina” or “Claudia”, columnar pears like “Obelisk” or “Conference” and columnar apples like “Bolero” or “Green Sensation”. They are suitable for gardens and balconies with limited space.
Columnar cherry trees
You shouldn't automatically assume that the name columnar cherry tree has a compact growth habit, as many columnar cherries can reach absolutely considerable heights without regular pruning. The following varieties of columnar cherry are available in specialist shops in many places and are valued by many hobby gardeners and in some cases also by cultivation companies:
- Columnar cherry “Karina”
- Columnar cherry “Schneiders Späte”
- Columnar cherry “Giorgia”
- Columnar cherry Claudia
- Columnar sour cherry “Jachim”
During the harvest season, cherries can be enjoyed fresh from the tree or processed well. Extend the harvest season by planting early and late varieties side by side in your garden.
Columnar pears: naturally slim or trimmed into shape
When it comes to columnar pears, some varieties actually remain slender and columnar almost on their own due to their genetic predisposition, while other varieties occasionally require a slight topiary to ensure their tightly upright growth habit. Overall, most varieties of columnar pears are relatively easy to care for, as they do not require as much pruning as some other columnar fruit trees. The following varieties of columnar pears are particularly popular when planted outdoors or in pots:
- Pearl “Obelisk”
- Column pear “Doyenné du Comice”
- Column pear “Concorde”
- Columnar pear “Bambinella”
- Column pear “Decora”
- Column pear “Condora”
- Column bulb “Conference”
The columnar pear variety “Conference” not only offers particularly well-storable, juicy fruits, but is also suitable as a “pollinator variety” for pollinating other pear varieties.
Pillar apples for balconies and gardens
While some columnar fruit trees cannot be trained to be very compact, with the right pruning, columnar apples can even be achieved at heights suitable for the balcony. If they are watered sufficiently, columnar apples also appreciate warm and sunny locations on the balcony or terrace. The following varieties have proven themselves in terms of plant he alth and yield:
- Pillar apple “Bolero”
- Pillar apple “Ballerina”
- Pillar apple “Rhapsody”
- Pillar apple “La Torre” (particularly scab and mildew resistant)
- Pillar apple “Flamenco”
- Pillar apple “Redini Cuckoo” (with red-colored flesh)
- Pillar apple “Malini Black Beauty”
- Pillar apple “Goldcats”
- Pillar Apple “Red River”
- Pillar apple “Green Sensation”
Tip
Some columnar fruit trees tend (quite intentionally) to produce extremely numerous flowers, from which an almost unreal number of fruits can be produced. However, it may be that the amount of fruit is disproportionate to the size of the plant. So if you value fruit quality more than quantity, then if there is excessive fruit set, you should remove some of the small fruits shortly after flowering. This means that the remaining fruits can really fully ripen and develop their full aroma thanks to the better supply from the plant.
