Ashley (just sent you an email), We only live a couple hours apart and we see the same trees at big box and nurseries. You're probably seeing "ultra" on the Pacific Groves trees, right? Some are in bags (bareroot) at various places and some in the fiberpot containers (Lowes). If so, you can drop the term "ultra" and just consider it dwarf. Dwarf and semi-dwarf are what you're aware of: "regular trees on lower vigor rootstocks". These are prolific at nurseries and big box stores alike. Genetic dwarf, aka Miniatures or "true dwarf" are more rare, they are "dwarf trees on whatever (typically regular sized) rootstock". I think you already understand stocks especially how dwarf stocks ideally encourage fruit at younger age (early bearing) and retain a heavier fruit set (precocious). Each stock is different in various properties like size reduction, early bearing, preciousness, disease resistance, soil tolerance, and so forth. The rootstock is *mostly* what makes dwarf and semi-dwarf so small -- the lower vigor. The scion of certain varieties can be somewhat dwarfing and so can their tolerance of summer pruning. It ALL depends on variety, rootstock, and growing conditions. Thus why I've spent countless hours researching the various stocks and varieties before I go buying and planting gobs of them in my yard. Take the Babcock peach, very common. It can be grafted onto Lovell as full sized, on Citation is considered semi-dwarf, on Pumiselect called dwarf (PG calls it Ultra) but Babcock will never be a miniature (genetic dwarf). Just as Necta-Zee (another newer genetic dwarf) will never be a semi-dwarf or full sized tree. The mini's are very small, though their size differs based on variety, but many are 3 feet tall (unpruned) after 2 years old in the ground, whereas the PG ultra-dwarf could be like 6 feet by then. LE Cooke (near Visalia) also produces miniature trees, but I'm not sure the volume since I've only found a couple local nurseries that have ever had any -- and those nurseries don't plan to stock them anymore. The folks at LE Cooke have not responded to my inquiries. Nevertheless, they have an awesome website with cool photos of their genetic dwarfs. Here is a link that might be useful: Take a look at LE Cooke's Site

Yea. Definitely NOT the case for my yard. Vista, California has the reputation for having "the best weather in the United States". We have very temperate, even temps. Rarely goes over 90, rarely drops below freezing. And we have about 325 days of sunshine. So, everything grows, and it grows all year 'round. I had to do some SERIOUS summer pruning on both the Minnie Royal and Royal Lee. And, my Blenheim apricot is growing very nicely and staying compact (it is about 5' tall and filling out nicely). Compared to my Autumn Glo Apricot, which is directly across the walkway and I believe also on Citation, and needs serious pruning attention (getting the Felcos out today). It's doing the typical apricot thing here in S. California, and growing at a nuclear rate. So, so much for Citation being dwarfing here. Not. But, it is a good, sturdy, vigorous rootstock, and will make nice trees for me. It just means pulling out the pruners or loppers a little more often. I did fertilize this early summer, and plan on one more application here either today or this week, and was planning on a higher nitrogen app just to help get the canopies in good shape, since these are all 1st year trees with no fruit (except the crazy Anna apple, which will fruit at any given time, at any size, and frequently twice a year here.) I'll snap more pics of the Pick & Walk orchard and post to my previous thread. Things are growing very, very nicely. Even some of my really puny trees are doing very well. Everything is thriving and will make it through the winter, as long as I don't have any underground gopher stealth attacks, or ground squirrels girdling my trees. With 6 bait stations, the ground squirrel issue is pretty much under control. And shockingly, have rarely have gophers (I'm saying that under my breath, so as not to jinx myself.) Patty S.

You probably have a Phalaenopsis. You have to give more information about where you are (Florida or Alaska?) and where you have the orchid etc. etc. to get good advice.

I have bought trees from OSH, and they have grown just fine. It is my experience that no "big box" store lists rootstock on the label, but below is the grower's website so you can make an educated guess what you have. As far as quality, it depends on the store's practices--stay away from the ones that have placed their trees for sale where the plastic bagged roots are in the sun, because they may have been cooked. And the longer they have sat there, the more likely the roots have dehydrated or rotted. I have never had a problem with pollinization and asian pears, in fact just the opposite. I have had all of the flowers fruit and then not thinned enough, and had branches break off from too much fruit. Many say european pears will pollinize asian pears, and even the flowering pears lining the streets (Bradford pears) will work for asians. I'm not sure what you mean by "small" when you refer to the size of a tree, even dwarf trees will grow to the top of a house. Your best bet is to prune in late summer to keep it the height you want. Check out Dave Wilson's website on summer pruning. Carla in Sac Here is a link that might be useful: Pacific Groves website