EARLY RUBY CHERRY Patent #4150 11/15/77 Mr. Ralph Moore, Sequoia Miniature Rose Nursery, Visalia, California discovered a seedling cherry tree in his nursery. It possibly came from an employee's lunch in the area. As the tree grew, it produced yearly a good early crop of large cherries. Since Mr. Moore did not have another cherry in the area and the tree produced annually, he felt it was self fertile. Mr. Moore came to Bob Ludekens…

COMPACT STELLA CHERRY Compact Stella was introduced by the Canada Agricultural Research Station, Summerland, British Columbia about 1973. The selection was tested in the Summerland orchards during the late 1960's to early 1970's. The trees had a dwarfing height and annual heavy crops. 1980, Robert A. Norton brought the Compact Stella to Washington State University to observe during the '80's. The variety was then cleaned of virus but found Little Cherry Virus in plants that…

UTAH SWEET (DIXIE) POMEGRANATE Floyd Wright from Utah sent cuttings via UPS to us February 17, 2000 and we put in our greenhouse and into the orchard in 2001. We then grew the bushes for a few years to review the fruit. We began production in 2004. The sales are steadily increasing. I believe a better selection than Sweet Pomegranate. The fruit has an attractive gold color. Utah Sweet had gold skin with pink cheeks,…

LONG BEACH PEACH This is an Elberta peach seedling from a customer at Park's Nursery, Long Beach, California. L. E. Cooke Co. salesman Robbie Roberts became aware of it about 1985 through Doug McGavin, an employee at Park's. Carl Wisenhutter, nursery manager and son of owner, was impressed with the fruit. Budwood was brought to our office by Mr. Roberts and a few trees were budded for our orchard to be reviewed. One tree was…

TROPIC GOLD™ APRICOT 1998 I called on Samuel Kim at Santa Rosa Valley Nursery, Camarillo. He took me to an older apricot tree in his parking area which set quantities of fruit and no one could identify it for him. I returned in late June/early July and told him it was either a Blenheim or Royal. Sam did not agree as he had planted both varieties about 50' away and neither would fruit because of…

MONTROSE APRICOT In 1952 Lloyd Rosenvold purchased land in Montrose, Colorado. He found a very large apricot tree in a hillside pasture believed to be a seedling. The tree produced huge crops of medium to large fruit of superior flavor and quality. He was surprised as the winter was -31° and the previous year even colder. Mr. Rosenvold took seed with him when moving to Idaho in 1966. The original tree had limbs with 6"…

AUTUMN ROYAL APRICOT L. E. Cooke Patent #2906 Andrew W. Kannonin, Hollister, California had a Blenheim Apricot orchard.  In the orchard was a tree with one sport limb that flowered similar to the rest of the tree but the fruit did not ripen until September 15. Nephew Don Moore (Moore's Western Nursery in Atascadero, CA) shared this information with Bob Ludekens who, along with business partner George Daniels, drove to Hollister to see the fruit…

GOLDEN AMBER APRICOT L. E. Cooke Patent #3067 (Filed September 18, 1969) Willard Clayton Hill had a Tilton Apricot orchard on Caldwell Ave, Visalia, California.  He told Bob Ludekens about one tree in his orchard that flowered over a 30 day period and produced apricots ripening for 30 days.  The extended time was not good for commercial plantings but is what a homeowner would want.  When a tree has fruit ripening all in a few…

ROYALTY APRICOT This very large early fruiting apricot was introduced to the L. E. Cooke Co in 1970 by Walter Krause of Redwood Nursery, Reedley, California. Royalty sets fruit as a young tree and ripens for us in early June. The tree sets very large fruit on the heavy wood in the tree which is an asset in windy areas. The variety is freestone, self fertile, very large, good flavor, ripening very early before the…

MONIQUI APRICOT   Mr. Andy Mariani , Mariani Orchards in Morgan Hill, California, supplied budwood for this variety during the summer of 1990. Moniqui is from Spain.  It grows in areas with chill from 600 to 1000 hours.  A very unique fruit with sweet white juicy flesh with a coral pink blush to the skin with golden highlights on both ends. The tree is a very vigorous grower, large leaves, resistant to bacterial canker.  The…