L.E. Cooke Company - L.E. Cooke Blog

Weeping Double Red Flowering Peach - Edible Fruit?

Aug 12, 2010

Question: Is the Weeping Double Red Flowering Peach tree supposed to produce peaches? We have had it for 3 years and it is about 8' tall and it produces peaches but they stop growing shortly after the produce. We only have one tree are we supposed to have two for pollination? We have been to the nursery but they can not seem to answer our questions.

Thanks, Julie - Prattville, Alabama

Answer: Most fruit trees (but not all) that are known for their beautiful spring blooms produce fruit. For the most part they are not very enjoyable to eat - at least not to our discriminating taste buds. That is the case with the Weeping Double Red Flowering Peach. I consider it a nuisance fruit - a negative more than offset by the spring bloom. So putting in another tree for pollination would not make it any better. Be thankful they drop when they are smaller an easier (less squishy) to clean up.

Posted by Ron Ludekens | Comment (0) | Weeping Double Red Flowering Peach, flowering

How Much Sun for Wisteria?

Aug 12, 2010

Question: how many hours of full sun is minimum for Cookes Purple Wisteria. I want to plant along a porch but it is shaded in morning.

Valerie - Clearlake, CA

Answer: Wisteria thrives in full sun. That being said, I often see it planted on stout patio canopies and Arbors where it only gets sun half the day - the house or building shading it the rest of the day.

Here is an example:

In this photo taken late in the afternoon, this Cooke's Purple Wisteria is planted in an area that only gets sun in the afternoon facing west. In fact it competes with some shade from trees too.

What I also want you to see in this photo is the wisteria has climbed toward the sun and this grand old vine completely covers the patio roof - thus getting more sun than in its earlier years.

To answer your specific question, I am sure your wisteria will do fine. Just make sure you control where you want it to go over the life of the plant.

Ron

Posted by Ron Ludekens | Comment (0) | wisteria

Identifying Unknown Peach

Aug 12, 2010

Question: Previously I lived in W. Texas and had an orchard. I did not plant this orchard, so I don't know where the tree's came from. I had a peach tree that was reported to be a "Giant Elberta" white meat, freestone. I cannot find a listing anywhere that comes close to this, except possibly one on your site.

This peach is aproxamately the size of a softball at ripen, it is a white meat and not nearly as sweet as the golden meated peaches. It also is a freestone and has an abundance of juice to each fruit.

I am sugar sensitive and cannot eat the regular "golden meats" in any quantity. These wonderful peaches were so much less sweet that I could enjoy a whole peach right from the tree. I do so miss this fruit and would greatly appreciate any information I could get re guarding it.

Posted by Ron Ludekens | Comment (1) | Peaches, Loring Peach, fruit

Kiowa Blackberries - On Steroids?

Aug 09, 2010

When my father, Bob Ludekens, was on his sales trip to Oklahoma in June, he saw blackberries larger than he had ever seen before.

Jean Snow showing Kiowa Blackberry from 2010 crop.

Posted by Ron Ludekens | Comment (0) | Kiowa, blackberries

Thumbs Up

Jul 09, 2010

Today we culminated a week of sales training with a walk through the fields and budwood orchards.

As we passed the ripe Donut (Saturn) Peaches and were refreshing ourselves with their sweet, sugery goodness, I recalled a conversation I had with a customer earlier this year in Texas. As I was describing the improvement of size and flavor of the Galaxy Peach over the Donut Peach, he commented, "can you pop the seed out of the Saturn Peach like I do with the Donut Peach?"

Posted by Ron Ludekens | Comment (0) | fruit trees, fruit, Donut Peach

No One Leaves Blue

Jun 22, 2010

Front Page News - Very Delicious

Posted by Ron Ludekens | Comment (0) | Primarily Perennials, Customers, Blueberries

Lilac Posters - Pre-Selling Idea

Jun 22, 2010

Posted by Ron Ludekens | Comment (0) | syringa, pre-sell, poster, Marketing, lilacs

L.E. Cooke In The News

Jun 10, 2010

nmpro-april2010-lec-smaller

I really appreciated Nursery Management Production magazine and Kelli Rodda for the cover exposure and nicely written story in the April 2010 issue of NM-Pro magazine. The article was concisely written and conveyed accurately the "flavor" (pun intended) of what we are about. Of course they might have hurt their magazine circulation with these rough looking guys on the cover.

Posted by Ron Ludekens | Comment (0) | Untagged