Growing most fruit from seed is a crap shoot. Peaches usually come close to the parent, or at least something desireable. Most citrus are polyembryonic, which means the seed has multiple embryos, making it possible that you will get the parent tree, or something close. Plums seem to be in the middle ground. Ive read greengage and other yellow/green plums will grow close to the parent. Japanese plums (especially the hardy ones) are usually crossed with the american plum (prunus americana (or prunus nigra/canadiensis)). They wont come too close to the parent tree. THe only way to ensure you get good "black ice" plums, is to get a tree, or at least get some scion. Ive read its possible to graft apricot to some plums (the asian types may do better, but thats a guess), and I think its possible to graft SOME japanese plums to european. I will say also, that you may not have much luck with peaches in s alberta. Ive lived in calgary. The thaw freeze cycles you get will probably make the trunk explode, or make it so you wont have fruit (the three years i was there, we had snow and frost into June. This means before, during and after flowering. THe best advice I can give if you decide to try peach (hell, I am!) is to make sure the trunk stays in the shade all winter, and that the tree stays cold until the threat of frost goes away. Even then its a slim chance, but who knows! You may have luck with "toka". Most sources state zone 3 or 4. Its a red japanese/american hybrid developed in south dakota, so it should be more able to survive the praries :D

spontaneously appeared.. not good never saw fruit.. nope.. its an ornamental.. not a 'fruit' tree .. though it does have horrible little fruit [i hope you understand the difference .. they arent eating pears] .. that birds can spread for miles .. hence that above .. and when you get enough flowers to notice.. they smell like dirty gym socks ... fast growing.. prone to weather damage... and that is why you dont want it that close to the house.... and no one in the tree forum likes them ... get rid of it.. before you regret not doing it when you can do it by yourself for free ... ken

i got rid of the tree ... its a short lived ornamental tree.. that is susceptible to not only scale.. but also canker or some other such disease ... it seems that once they mature.. they move on past maturity to problem after problem after problem .... i am guessing.. but for about 10 to 20 bucks.. you can buy a new healthy one.. if you really have to have one .... if so .. why are you wasting your time.. and money poisoning mother earth to salvage a tree that frankly isnt ... up to you ... good luck ... check bayer systemic tree and shrub care to MAYBE get rid of the scale.. which will leave all the other potential problems ... again.. good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

Aphids. You can hose them off, or use insecticidal soap for two of the more benign types of control. Taking care of any ant infestations will also help, as the ants will often "farm" aphids for their honeydew.