Dumb question... What sort of fellow is your friend? Is he a "Grow stuff" sort of fellow - or not? In general - If your friend likes the idea of fruit but has never grown fruit, and you don't really know what he likes... and you REALLY want to get a fruit tree of some sort... Get him a Blueberry... Nearly zero maintenance, they don't get huge, don't make a giant mess, and the odds of getting good fruit are pretty high. On to the rest of my opinion... One thing to think about maintenance wise is dumping piles of junk on the ground that your buddy will have to attend to... Your friend may well end up cursing you each fall as they have to go pick up a ton of spiny, bug filled, staining, or stinky debris off the yard.... ESPECIALLY SO with Chestnuts - as a mature tree will dump THOUSANDS of spiny witches eggs on the ground... These are extraordinarily painful to touch - much less if you happen to step on one... Picking them up off the ground requires gloves! Personally... My opinion - don't gift a Chestnut unless your friend really wants a Chestnut and knows what he is in for... Walnuts produce BASEBALLS with THICK husks that drop all over the place - and their husks produce a ton of black, stinky, permanent staining goo that gets all over everything... Black walnuts are especially bad in this regard... Their leaves also stain EVERYTHING! In this regard - I would consider a Pecan before a walnut.. Mess wise - many "Large fruit" trees can make a big mess if you aren't committed to cleaning up after them.... Think of all he old Apple and Pear trees that folks cut down because they shower the yard annually with apple and pear slime.... More so with Mulberries and their Purple Stain! Thanks

You should be able to find single trunked specimens in Huntsville. After all, that's what is used, more often than not, in the landscapes in the area. Seriously, drive around the City and you'll see thousands of Crape standards. (I'm from Huntsville.) By ALL means, visit the locally owned garden centers/nurseries to ask for what you are looking for. The big box outlets won't help you, unless they already have some already in stock. You may need to look for larger trees to find one already trained to a single trunk. Those available in the smaller container sized will most likely be untrained shrub-form. I totally disagree that single trunked specimens are unpleasing. One needs to fit the form to the site. I like both options equally well, but like to see them matched to the location. And I've never found it particularly difficult to maintain a single trunk, as long as you keep up with it when the tree is still young. It doesn't take all that long for them to cease with all of that suckering.

Leon, NAFEX lists Negronne as a synonym for VdB and Bordeaux. I ordered a VdB assuming it was EXACTLY the same. Is there a substantial difference in flavor? I'm not as concerned about production. In fact, I'd be thrilled to get the 15 figs mountainman got last season. Mountainman, Scott, you have both addressed my main concern and that is whether the tree can survive a typical Georgia winter without protection. Georgia winters are typically very mild, in the 40s. I wasn't sure whether to wrap the tree or just let it stand. Do you think a layer of burlap could provide adequate protection for a 1-2 day freeze, say in the low to mid 20s? I have a nice spot for the tree in well-drained soil on the south side of my house. The house is brick so it should be nice and cozy year round.

I have Heritage and Duraheat, along with the straight species. They all do well here, heat is not an issue. I believe you mentioned you're in NorthBama, so temps not much different than MidTenn. I assume you have acid soil, basic soils will result in chlorosis and eventual decline, I've seen it on older trees in Nashville. Heritage grows much like the species, Duraheat much more formal, my 10 year olds have the shape of young Bradford pears. Their leaves are slightly smaller and darker green than Heritage or the species. They hold them about 2 weeks longer in fall. No fall color on any of them of course.