Ongoing Research Projects

Chicago Hardy Fig

The "gold standard" for cold climates. This reliable tree produces classic pear-shaped figs with a deep mahogany skin and a sweet, light berry flavor.

Black Celeste Fig (Sugar Fig)

An early-season favorite producing dark violet figs with intense, honey-like sweetness similar to brown sugar.

Texas Everbearing Fig

A massive producer for the South, known for its extreme resilience and classic sweet fig flavor.

Black Mission Fig

The gold standard for commercial and home orchards alike, offering a rich, earthy sweetness and a beautiful dark purple skin.

Campaniere Fig

A resilient French heirloom that produces small, teardrop-shaped figs. It is famous for its syrupy mix of honey and dark berry sweetness.

Dalmatie Fig

A Croatian heirloom that produces some of the largest green figs in existence on a very compact tree.

LSU Purple Fig

Bred specifically for challenging Southern climates, it’s a fast-growing, highly disease-resistant tree that produces glossy dark fruit.

A phenomenal LSU release known for producing rich, sugary dark figs with an exceptional berry-jam flavor profile and great vigor.

Col de Dame Blanc Fig

A prized French gourmet variety with an elongated neck. Its deep strawberry-red pulp delivers an intense berry flavor with a tangy, jam-like finish.

Black Manzanita Fig

Originally discovered in California, this dark-skinned fig yields a vivid burgundy interior with an intense, punchy blackberry jam flavor.

A heavy-bearing mountain variety that produces beautiful reddish-brown fruit with a robust, earthy "dark berry" sweetness.

Considered a "holy grail" variety by collectors, offering an explosion of strawberry and raspberry reduction flavors. Note: Cuttings rooted but then failed due to early onset heat.

Figue De Sollies Fig (King of Figs)

A French AOP-protected variety with a complex dark cherry and red wine profile.

Savanac Noire Fig

A highly sought-after French "noir" variety with a dense, cake-like interior and notes of black currants.

TC 12 Fig

A unique dark/light hybrid that pairs the durability of green figs with the intense berry punch of dark varieties.

A highly productive, fast-growing discovery from Southern Italy with a vibrant strawberry-red interior.

A powerful strawberry-jam profile hiding inside a pale green/yellow skin.

An heirloom variety that develops beautiful sugar cracks and a dark cherry, honey finish.

Vagabond Fig

A wild Pennsylvania discovery that produces a reliable early breba crop and a rich dark berry main crop.

Peters Honey Fig

A gorgeous yellowish-green fig from Sicily. It boasts almost no acidity, offering a pure, delicate clover-honey sweetness.

Sweet Dianna Fig

Often ranked in the top 10 by collectors, this New Jersey discovery offers an exquisite "syrupy strawberry jam" flavor.

Longue D'Aout Fig

A classic French variety known for exceptionally large, elongated fruits and a delicate honey-melon sweetness.

Tena Fig

Bred by UC Riverside for hot inland climates, offering a pure, clean honey-like sweetness that is perfect for drying.

A top-tier golden-skinned cultivar valued for its light, crisp, honey-citrus and floral notes.

Beers Black Fig

A naturally small-statured tree that produces intensely sweet, dessert-like black figs—perfect for container growing.

Petite Negri Fig

A prized dwarf selection that yields large, jet-black, gourmet-quality fruit on a very small tree.

Physical Graffiti

A popular hybrid with striking bright pink skin, green fins, and a refreshing magenta flesh that carries sweet berry sub-notes.

Dark Star

An exceptionally large variety with rich purple-magenta flesh, known for a sweet flavor profile with subtle grape notes.

American Beauty

One of the most popular red-fleshed cultivars. It is an excellent universal pollinator that yields exceptionally sweet, deep purple fruit.

Sugar Dragon

A premier hybrid famous for its massive fruit production, incredibly high sugar content, and rich berry-grape flavor.

Connie Mayer

A rare, sought-after white-fleshed dragon fruit that offers a unique floral rose aroma and distinct notes of fresh green coconut.

Ecuador Yellow Palora

A pure yellow, thorny-skinned variety native to Ecuador. It features semi-translucent white flesh and is considered one of the sweetest dragon fruits in existence.

Hylocereus Polyrhizus

A vigorous climbing vine species producing vibrant pink-skinned fruit with deep red flesh.

Tango Mandarin & Shiranui Mandarin

The seedless Tango offers reliable sweetness and easy peeling, while the massive Shiranui (with its signature "top knot") is known as the sweet "king of citrus".

Blood Oranges (Delfino, Tarocco #7, Moro)

From the berry-like, deeply pigmented Delfino and Moro to the incredibly Vitamin C-rich, delicately marbled Tarocco #7.

Grapefruit, Poloma & Tangelos

The intensely red, incredibly sweet Star Ruby Grapefruit grows alongside our Tangelos, a perfect hybrid of tangerine sweetness and grapefruit tartness.

Sweet Lemons & Limes

We grow the resilient, sweet Meyer Lemon and the unique Red Lime (Rangpur), a mandarin-lemon hybrid prized for marinades and craft cocktails.

Specialty & Aromatic Citrus

We cultivate the Makrut (Kaffir) Thai Lime for its fragrant double-leaves, the cold-hardy culinary Yuzu, and the ornamental Centennial Variegated Kumquat.

Cara Cara & Washington Navel Oranges

A pairing of classic sweet citrus, featuring the nutrient-packed Cara Cara with its deep pinkish-red flesh and the timeless, reliable sweetness of the traditional Washington Navel.

Dorsett Golden Apple Tree

Famous for having an exceptionally low "chill requirement," meaning it can produce fruit even in areas that never experience a hard frost.

Pink Lady® Apple Tree

(the trademarked name for the Cripps Pink variety) is one of the most popular modern apples, prized for its perfect balance of sugar and acid. Developed in Australia, it thrives in regions with long, warm growing seasons.

Arkansas Black Apple Tree

A legendary heirloom variety, first discovered in Benton County, Arkansas, around 1870. It is often referred to as a "keeper" apple because its flavor and texture actually improve with long-term storage.

Firecracker™ Red Flesh Apple Tree

(also known as Bill’s Red Flesh) is a unique, high-impact variety prized for its dramatic coloring and intense flavor. Unlike standard apples, the red pigment in this tree extends beyond the fruit, affecting its blossoms, leaves, and even the inner wood.

Jujube Trees (Chinese Dates)

We grow both the Li Jujube (an apple-like, crisp variety perfect for fresh eating) and the Lang Jujube (a pear-shaped variety that wrinkles on the branch, concentrating its sugars for chewy, date-like treats).

Note: This variety did not survive the winter of 2025.

Red Pomegranate

A resilient, heavy-bearing desert-adapted shrub yielding large fruits packed with brilliant, ruby-red arils that offer a balanced sweet-tart juice flavor.

White Pomegranate

A unique cultivar producing pale-skinned fruit with translucent arils that provide a remarkably sweet, low-acidity flavor profile.

Musa Double Banana

A rare dwarf Cavendish banana that can surprisingly produce two full bunches of sweet, dessert-quality bananas on a single stalk.

Moringa Tree

A fast-growing, drought-resistant "miracle tree" where nearly every part is edible, providing nutrient-dense leaves and seed pods.

Curry Tree

A highly aromatic staple in South Asian cuisine. The fresh leaves are incredible when bloomed in hot oil or ghee for savory dishes.

Aronia Berry (Dwarf)

This smaller landscape-friendly Chokeberry is prized both for its "superfood" berries—which contain some of the highest antioxidant levels of any fruit—and its ornamental value, featuring white spring flowers and brilliant crimson fall foliage.

Aronia Berry (Aronia Melanocarpa)

Commonly known as Black Chokeberry, prized both for its "superfood" berries—which contain some of the highest antioxidant levels of any fruit—and its ornamental value, featuring white spring flowers and brilliant crimson fall foliage.

Aronia Berry (Nero)

A specialized European selection known for reliable yields of antioxidant-rich fruit and stunning seasonal foliage.

A highly regarded Russian cultivar known for its exceptional sweetness and large berry size. Note: This variety notably struggled with the intense heat and high UV exposure during the summer of 2026.

The quintessential French black currant. It is prized for its intense aroma and high anthocyanin content, though it is slightly more demanding than some modern hybrids. Note: Struggled with intense heat and high UV exposure.

Black Raspberry (Jewel)

Widely considered the "gold standard" of black raspberries. It is a June-bearing (floricane) variety prized for its exceptional fruit quality, high yields, and relative resistance to common raspberry diseases.

Autumn Olive (Amber)

A hardy, nitrogen-fixing shrub producing abundant amber-colored berries rich in lycopene.

Jostaberry (Black)

A vigorous, thornless cross between a black currant, a North American gooseberry, and a European gooseberry, producing large, tangy dark berries.

Goumi (Red Gem)

An attractive nitrogen-fixing elaeagnus shrub yielding tangy, edible red berries speckled with silver scales in early summer.

Goumi (Sweet Scarlet)

Selected for larger, sweeter fruit compared to seedlings, offering a delicious harvest on a resilient shrub.

Elderberry (Nova)

A heavy-producing Canadian cultivar known for large, sweet clusters of dark fruit and excellent cold hardiness.

Elderberry (Allesso)

Selected for robust growth and abundant flower and fruit production used in syrups and culinary creations.

Elderberry (Goldbeere)

A unique selection known for distinct ornamental features and fruitful clusters.

Elderberry (Wyldewood)

Renowned for exceptionally large flower heads and massive fruit clusters, making it a favorite for commercial and home use.

Elderberry (Samyl)

A specialized Danish cultivar (Sambucus nigra) specifically bred for commercial-grade fruit and flower production. It is highly regarded for its high concentrations of anthocyanins and vitamins.

Elderberry (Samdal)

A specialized Danish cultivar (Sambucus nigra) specifically bred for commercial-grade fruit production. It is highly regarded for its high concentrations of anthocyanins and vitamins.

American Elderberry 'Adams'

A classic native selection producing large, juicy clusters of dark berries ideal for jams and cordials.

Goji Berry (Phoenix Tears)

A nutrient-dense vine/shrub producing vitamin-rich red goji berries used traditionally as a longevity superfood.

Boysenberry

A trailing blackberry-raspberry-loganberry hybrid yielding large, deeply flavorful, tart-sweet berries.

An everbearing raspberry cultivar producing sweet, aromatic golden-yellow berries through summer and fall. Note: Struggled with intense summer heat and UV.

Glencoe Raspberry

A unique thornless purple raspberry offering intense, complex raspberry-blackberry flavor notes.

An ultra-cold-hardy shrub producing elongated blue berries with a tangy flavor reminiscent of a cross between blueberries and raspberries. Note: Struggled with intense summer heat.

Michigan State Hardy Kiwi

A smooth-skinned, bite-sized hardy kiwi variety bred to withstand northern winters while delivering intense tropical sweetness.

Ken’s Red Hardy Kiwi

A vigorous climbing vine producing reddish-purple, exceptionally sweet fuzzy or smooth hardy kiwi fruits.

Male Hardy Kiwi

Non-fruiting pollinator vine specifically required to ensure heavy fruit set on female hardy kiwi varieties.

Seaberry (Orange Energy)

A rugged, nitrogen-fixing shrub packed with vibrant orange berries exceptionally high in Vitamin C and essential fatty acids.

Seaberry (Sea Buckthorn) – Garden’s Gift

A selected European variety featuring larger fruit and reduced thorniness for easier harvesting of vitamin-packed berries.

The essential male pollinator plant required to fertilize female sea buckthorn shrubs for fruit production. Note: Struggled with intense summer heat and UV.

A vigorous, highly productive shrub yielding continuous crops of sweet, blackberry-like fruit throughout the extended warm season.

Passion Fruit

A vigorous vine that produces gorgeous flowers which, in the right conditions, turn into lovely round, purple-skinned fruit.

Thompson Seedless Grape

The classic, highly productive table and raisin grape known for producing sweet, crisp, golden-green berries on a vigorous climbing vine.

Black Monukka Grape

A reliable seedless table grape known for producing crisp, sweet dark berries on a vigorous climbing vine.

Note: Rootstock acquired from Ison's Nursery and Vineyard suffered 100% failure under local establishment conditions.

Note: Rootstock acquired from Ison's Nursery and Vineyard suffered 100% failure under local establishment conditions.