Height: 25 feet
Spread: 20 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 5a
Description:
An attractive fruit tree for the home orchard with showy pink flowers in spring and tasty orange fruit in mid summer; somewhat upright and spreading habit; needs full sun, well-drained soil and a pollinator; flowers can be damaged by a late spring frost
Edible Qualities
Harcot Apricot is a medium-sized tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces orange oblong fruit (technically 'drupes') with a red blush and gold flesh which are usually ready for picking in mid summer. Note that the fruits have hard inedible pits inside which must be removed before eating or processing. The fruits have a sweet taste and a firm texture.
The fruit are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Cooking
- Baking
- Preserves
- Canning
Features & Attributes
Harcot Apricot is smothered in stunning clusters of fragrant pink flowers along the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy orange drupes with a red blush, which are carried in abundance in mid summer. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.
This is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;
- Messy
- Disease
Aside from its primary use as an edible, Harcot Apricot is sutiable for the following landscape applications;
- Shade
- Orchard/Edible Landscaping
Planting & Growing
Harcot Apricot will grow to be about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.
This tree is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
