PLANT FINDER

Other Names:  Common Peach

Description:

A heavy producing variety, featuring showy pink flowers in spring, followed by large, freestone peaches with firm yellow flesh and great flavor; late season ripening; susceptible to late spring freezes and disease, needs full sun and well-drained soil

Edible Qualities

O'Henry Peach is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces large gold round fruit (technically 'drupes') with a red blush and yellow flesh which are usually ready for picking in late 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 juicy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Canning

Features & Attributes

O'Henry Peach is smothered in stunning clusters of fragrant pink flowers along the branches from early to mid spring, which emerge from distinctive rose flower buds before the leaves. It has dark green deciduous foliage. The glossy narrow leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy gold drupes with a red blush, which are carried in abundance from mid to late 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
• Insects
• Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, O'Henry Peach is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

O'Henry Peach will grow to be about 18 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 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 40 years or more. While it is considered to be somewhat self-pollinating, it tends to set heavier quantities of fruit with a different variety of the same species growing nearby.

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 may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. 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.