Types of Fruit Trees That Can Grow in Zone 7

Fruit Trees for Hedges

• Create hedges with certain fruit trees in USDA zone 7. The chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) cultivar "Schubert" grows between 20 and 30 feet, but tolerates pruning, making it a candidate for an informal hedge. Schubert flowers in April and May, features purple leaves and astringent, but edible, fruit. The inedible fruits of the Osage orange tree (Maclura pomifera) grow to the size of grapefruits. This is a perfect fruit tree for hedges, possessing sharp thorns and dense branches. The Missouri Botanical Garden calls Osage orange the ideal fruit tree for hedges along property lines, a use it enjoyed before barb wire came onto the scene.

Fruit Trees for Specimem Plants

• Prunus armeniaca "Wilson Delicious" is a flowering apricot tree for zone 7 that grows to 10 feet tall. A good choice for small yards, the tree generates attractive flowers and edible apricots by July. "Prairiefire" is a crabapple cultivar for zone 7 that serves as a specimen plant, growing to 20 feet. The pink May flowers work well with the purplish spring foliage; the leaves turn green-red over time. The red-brown bark gives this crabapple winter interest. Prunus "Redheart" is a dwarf plum cultivar of Japanese origin. Growing to just 10 feet high, it flowers in April and begins to bear edible plums at the age of 3 or 4.

Fruit Trees for Street Trees

• Pyrus calleryana "Aristocrat" is suitable as a street tree in zone 7. It grows between 25 and 35 feet, flowers in spring and has a more upright form than most Callery pear varieties. This cultivar has no thorns and the fruit is not edible. The Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) is native to the Southeast, so it handles zone 7 conditions. Washington hawthorn works as a street tree, growing to 30 feet. Frame your driveway or line your property bordering the street with this fruit tree. Look out for the thorns when mowing, but the fragrant spring flowers and colorful fall foliage make the tree worth planting.

Fruit Trees for Bird Gardens

• Allegheny serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) works well in bird gardens, since birds eat the berries this tree generates. Sometimes called Juneberry because its dark fruits ripen by June, this fruit tree grows in partial shade or sunshine to 40 feet. Weeping higan cherry (Prunus subhirtella) "Pendula" grows to 20 feet tall in zone 7, in nearly any type of soil except for those that drain poorly. The drooping branches feature attractive flowers in March, and birds flock to this tree to eat its fruits.