What sort of flowering or fruit trees do well in Pittsburgh (Penn: houses, where to buy)

[ferraris]

I've got some extra space that I've been thinking of using for a small tree. I don't want any thing that's going to one day grow to be 30 feet tall. I want something that either looks nice (flowers) or produces edible fruit. If there's something that does both, that would be awesome. Maybe a Lilac or Apple tree?

Also any suggestions where to buy one? The Urban Gardener and big box stores seem to cater smaller things. I'm not looking to get a fully mature tree. Something 3 to 6 feet tall probably, even if that means I have to wait a few years for it to produce fruit.

[groar]

there are lots of fruit trees that can be grown on dwarf stock and do well in pittsburgh. and they all flower, albeit briefly. the arbor day foundation is a good source for mail order trees, although there are also local nurseries that have good tree selections.

i think peach and plum trees have especially beautiful flowers as well as tasty fruit. there are lots of different kinds. cherry trees are nice too. they tend to be split into ornamental and fruit trees but the trees with fruit that's nice to eat can be as pretty as the ones that are called ornamental.

apple trees would work too but their flowers are not as spectacular. still very pretty though!

lilacs would work just fine here too, although obviously they don't produce edible fruit.

just look for dwarf (8-10 feet) or semi-dwarf (14-18 feet) varieties.

[Bong477]

I have apple and sour cherry trees that put out a lot of fruit. Particularly the apple ones, I get way more than I know what to do with. I also have a pear and apricot but they doesn't fare so well. You really need to plant at least 2 of a fruit tree (sweetheart trees I think they are called) to get good results.

[stburr91]

Maybe not quite what you are looking for, but I always loved the Japanese maple trees. They can have such a vibrant color to them.

[XRiteMA98]

Originally Posted by Bong477

I have apple and sour cherry trees that put out a lot of fruit. Particularly the apple ones, I get way more than I know what to do with. I also have a pear and apricot but they doesn't fare so well. You really need to plant at least 2 of a fruit tree (sweetheart trees I think they are called) to get good results.

You have sour cherry tree? Are its fruit actually sour sweet? I have never ever found in SUA sour cherry like in Europe. The american version has a hint of sour and it tastes bland. The European version... man, when I was a kid I remember I used to climb the tree and come back with a red mouth and tongue and sour lips (like after you take a vitamin C here). Not to mention that we have the bitter cherry trees over there. Every time I visit my parents I "smuggle" a couple of jars of home made sour and bitter cherry jam my mom makes. That's real bliss on toast and butter for breakfast.

Now to answer the OP if I were you I'd put a pear tree.

[Bong477]

Originally Posted by XRiteMA98

You have sour cherry tree? Are its fruit actually sour sweet? I have never ever found in SUA sour cherry like in Europe. The american version has a hint of sour and it tastes bland. The European version... man, when I was a kid I remember I used to climb the tree and come back with a red mouth and tongue and sour lips (like after you take a vitamin C here). Not to mention that we have the bitter cherry trees over there.

Now to answer the OP if I were you I'd put a pear tree.

Yes we have one in our yard. The fruit takes sour sweet but I would assume this is the american version. I don't know much about this tree's origins since it was there when we bought the house. Our pear tree doesn't put out a ton of fruit, but if we planted another one nearby it might do better.

[AnneWest]

Originally Posted by groar

lilacs would work just fine here too, although obviously they don't produce edible fruit.

just look for dwarf (8-10 feet) or semi-dwarf (14-18 feet) varieties.

Love lilacs! My grandparents got indoor plumbing after WWII...and promptly planted lilac bushes on the spot of the old outhouse. They grew to 15' there, with blooms that were immense. You could smell their scent 5-6 houses down the street on a breezy day.

[Hopes]

I was going to recommend Crabapple, but I noticed you want to eat the first (you can but it's sour) and you didn't want a big flowering tree. Crabapples can get very big. They're beautiful fast growers though.

Any fruit tree is pretty when flowering. Pick the one you like best.

FYI, lilac isn't a tree. It's a bush. They are very slow growing. At their full height, they're not very large---8' to 15' at most---but they take at least 20 years to mature. I'm not discouraging you from planting one. You probably have room to plant both a flowering tree and a lilac bush. My property is lined with a hedge of lilacs. It smells wonderful in May. I can smell them in my house most of the time when the windows are open because the scent travels with a light breeze.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I was going to recommend Crabapple, but I noticed you want to eat the first (you can but it's sour) and you didn't want a big flowering tree. Crabapples can get very big. They're beautiful fast growers though.

Any fruit tree is pretty when flowering. Pick the one you like best.

FYI, lilac isn't a tree. It's a bush. They are very slow growing. At their full height, they're not very large---8' to 15' at most---but they take at least 20 years to mature. I'm not discouraging you from planting one. You probably have room to plant both a flowering tree and a lilac bush. My property is lined with a hedge of lilacs. It smells wonderful in May. I can smell them in my house most of the time when the windows are open because the scent travels with a light breeze.

I have a cute story about lilacs. First of all, I agree, they're bushes, not trees. They are very popular in Colorado. (There's a tie-in to Pittsburgh here, Yac, don't have a heart attack!) One year, my parents were out here from Pittsburgh (there ya go) at Mother's Day and the lilacs were especially beautiful that year, and were in full bloom. My dad, who was a master gardener from Penn State (another local reference, Yac), did a soil test on our soil and it was so alkaline it was off his chart! He went home and put a bunch of wood ashes on his lilacs, cause he figured they liked the alkaline soil so much.

One thing about lilacs, and we have several, is that they only bloom for a few weeks a year; the rest of the year they're just bushes. They do make a good screen between yards, etc.

[I_Like_Spam]

My mom grew sour cherry trees successfully, and those trees grew only to a modest height.