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Fruit & Orchards

What to plant behind my Fuji Apple

12 years ago

I need some advice on what to plant in a corner of my yard. I have a wooden fence with a fuji apple planted 4ft out from the fence. Now my planting guide that came with the apple tree says it will get about 6ft in diam so it shouldn't touch the fence

Heres a pic

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll134/RayCover/Tree1.jpg?t=1314628888

I would like some kind of small fruiting bush or ground cover to plant behind the tree. I plan to put weed barrier cloth down and mulch that whole corner so I don't have to mow or weedeat that corner.

This apple tree gets about 2 hrs of sun in the morning. Then the neighbor's shade tree hits it for about 3 hrs and then it gets another 6-7 hrs of sun for he rest of the day.

The taller the tree gets the more sun it will get (at least on its top half).

The corner behind it will get a fair amount to shade once the Fuji apple gets bigger. I am on the border of zones 5B/6A and get 1500 chill hours.

Do any of you have a suggestions? Gooseberries or honeyberries maybe? Lingonberies?

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Comments (3)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
12 years ago
engraverray, I wouldn't plant anything behind it, frankly. I'd actually create a nice mulched planting bed all along the fence, and in the corner all the way back. Planting something fruiting that close behind your apple tree is going to cause a few issues - competition for nutrients for your tree, difficulties getting back behind the tree (bet it gets bigger than your think, Anna apples are pretty precocious) to pick fruit, and not enough sunlight to that plant from the shade of the apple tree. Instead, I would flank your tree with some nice berry bushes. You don't include what zone or state you're in in your ID line, but you must be in a colder area of the country to grow lingonberries?? And more acidic soil? If so, if you're thinking of lingonberries, I'd also plant blueberries, honeyberries and gooseberries on the left and right sides of your lovely Anna apple (which is a low-chill apple tree, so I'm still just a wee bit confused as to where you are in the country), to sort of frame out your tree. Forget the corner, it will look just fine mulched to the back of the fence, and instead, continue your fruit along either side of the tree.

Patty S.
engraverray
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the advice Patty,

I am about a half hour south of St Louis right on the edge of Zone 5B/6A We get about 1500 chill hours here. Several people around here do well with these little Fuji apple trees so I know they will grow fine here. I just do not know what to put around it.

Your probably right I probably should just mulch to the fence corner. Not having to weedeat back there is the most important thing to me. LOL

What about something like currants along the fence to either side of the tree?

Ray
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hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
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Jeepers, I had "Anna" on the brain. Although Fuji is also low chill, just not as low chill as Anna is. And it happens to be one of my very favorite apples, too, I have a Fuji and a Red Fuji in my apple lineup. I would just lay down landscaping cloth, mulch over it and you're good to go. You're going to be a much bigger tree than you're thinking, and a lot of shade. So, don't worry about that corner behind, your apple tree will fill in. I would go about making that fenceline look a little more attractive with the nice berry selections you've mentioned for sure!

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