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Large flowers on edible tree zone 6?

Pearl Sutton

steward & bricolagier

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Location: SW Missouri

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posted 10 months ago

My mom has been seeing the tulip trees and magnolias around here that are SO pretty with their huge flowers. I'm trying to keep almost everything we put on our property edible, so we don't have to keep track of what is not edible. Are there trees with huge pretty flowers that put out food? Basic fruit trees are on our list already, hibiscus are invasive here, we are putting in a LOT of regular flowers, mom just likes the idea of the big flowered trees. Any suggestions I can look up? Zone 6.
Thanks for ideas!

Edit oooh, dogwoods! I had forgotten them.

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Chris Kott

pollinator

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Location: Toronto, Ontario

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posted 10 months ago

I would suggest that you keep the tulip trees. If they don't feed you, they'll feed the pollinators.

If their shade is a problem, I suggest mulberry and hazel, which are both food-bearing understory trees that love shade. Mulberry also flower for about three months of the year, at least where we are, and most birds that are fruit tree pests prefer mulberries over any other. I remember my grandmother's front yard, complete with two mulberry trees and an apple tree. The apples were usually completely untouched, but we were never able to get any of the mulberries; the birds swarmed the trees and used them as shelter.

-CK

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James Landreth

gardener

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Location: Western Washington

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posted 10 months ago

I think little leaf linden will work, as well as Empress Tree and yellowhorn nut tree. You can get these from burnt ridge if they aren't sold out

When you reach your lowest point, you are open to the greatest change.
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Pearl Sutton

steward & bricolagier

Posts: 4143

Location: SW Missouri

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posted 10 months ago

Chris Kott wrote:I would suggest that you keep the tulip trees. If they don't feed you, they'll feed the pollinators.

It's not "keep" it's "what to plant" there are none there yet, mom just likes the huge flowered trees in town. Coming from the desert, they are overwhelming, we aren't used to that!! I like edibles. Pollination etc is assumed, and I'm putting in a LOT of pollinator attractors. But I'm trying to keep them edible. The idea of having to keep track of what can and can't be eaten sound like a mess. I know which are edible, but anyone else wouldn't have a clue. Long range planning thing.

Fruit and such are on the list, and mulberries are already there. Just wondering if we can do huge flowers AND edible.

James Landreth

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posted 10 months ago

The blossoms I recommended are decent but not huge, unfortunately.

When you reach your lowest point, you are open to the greatest change.
-Avatar Aang

Dustin Rhodes

pollinator

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Location: San Diego, California

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posted 10 months ago

Black Locust Blossoms are edible.

Magnolia flowers are technically edible, but they taste like they smell...not exactly appetizing.

Experimenting and growing on my small acre in SW USA; Fruit & Nut trees w/ annuals, hoping to get Chickens, rabbits, and in-laws onto property soon.

Long term goal - Furniture & Luthier Stay-at-home farm dad.

Nynke Muller

Posts: 1

posted 10 months ago

Hi Pearl,
A Medlar is a beautifull tree with large blossoms & edible fruit. The blossom is like apple blossoms, but larger, about 7 to 10cm across. The fruit ripens in december and actually needs some frost to improve the taste. You can eat medlar fruit fresh, you can store it for a while in a cool place and you can make jelly and some kind of liqor etc. The fruit tastes good once you dare to bite them. You have to let them go slightly soft before you eat them (but not rotten of course). It is a winterproof fruit tree in my climate (7b), but please check for yours. It is an easy tree. Good luck!
Nynke

Tj Jefferson

pollinator

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Location: Virginia USDA 7a/b

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posted 10 months ago

Chestnut, kentucky coffee tree and honeylocust! I FINALLY got seeds and scions for the Hershey, Ashworth and a few others thornless with huge pods. This seems like a very underutilized tree.

Downy Serviceberry is a wonderful flower, and berries. Get 20-30ft.

Standing on the shoulders of giants. Giants with dirt under their nails

Pearl Sutton

steward & bricolagier

Posts: 4143

Location: SW Missouri

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posted 10 months ago

Tj Jefferson wrote:Chestnut, kentucky coffee tree and honeylocust! I FINALLY got seeds and scions for the Hershey, Ashworth and a few others thornless with huge pods. This seems like a very underutilized tree.

Downy Serviceberry is a wonderful flower, and berries. Get 20-30ft.

The kind of locust with the 6 inch thorns is endemic around here, I'm pulling them out by the roots with a tractor. Have serviceberry planted already, chestnut should be sprouting about now, haven't looked yet this week. :)

Nynke Muller: I have medlar on my "try it later" list, as I'm right on the zone lines for it, and my microclimate may be too cold for it. :)

Dustin Rhodes: I'll look magnolias up again, I have them on my toxin list.... :)

Still looking for huge flowers, 6 inches across size.

Bryant RedHawk

gardener

Posts: 6581

Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5

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posted 10 months ago

Edible large flowered fruit tree, the one that always comes to mind is the pawpaw, they need pretty deep shade the first few years and there is one problem, the pollinator is the blue bottle fly, which means the flower smells like rotting meat.

Redhawk

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Pearl Sutton

steward & bricolagier

Posts: 4143

Location: SW Missouri

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posted 10 months ago

Bryant RedHawk wrote:Edible large flowered fruit tree, the one that always comes to mind it the pawpaw, the need pretty deep shade the first few years and there is one problem, the pollinator is the blue bottle fly, which means the flower smells like rotting meat.

Redhawk

So far I have killed 10 of them :) The microclimate is being creative to deal with some days :)
I DID have them far away from the house due to the smell, which does put them in a sunny spot.

Bryant RedHawk

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Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5

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posted 10 months ago

I am so sorry Pearl, the pawpaw is a secondary succession tree and needs the shade (the leaves will sunburn very easily), the natural habitat for pawpaw trees is deeply wooded side streams.
That tells us they like a lot of water and have to sprout in deep shade. Most of the trees you see in natural settings are rather spindly trunks since they have to reach for the sun they want in their 3rd or 4th year of growth.
I know where one is that is almost 40 feet tall and only has 4 branches, right near the crown because that is where it can get sunlight. It puts off about 10 fruits a year.

I've tried to sprout them and failed twice, both times the seeds came to me from a university project and had been stratified and the directions said to scarify them then plant them in moist soil. I have a near perfect place but so far no luck at getting one out of 20 to sprout.

I have located a nursery in the Ozarks that sells 3 year old trees so I may give it another go in the future.

Joylynn Hardesty

steward

Posts: 2343

Location: Officially Zone 7b, according to personal obsevations I live in 7a, SW Tennessee

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posted 10 months ago

Have you considered erecting a temporary shade over your seedlings? I'm thinking of burlap, or old sheets... I'd set up some T-posts, and cable tie the fabric to them. Or something like this?

Pearl Sutton

steward & bricolagier

Posts: 4143

Location: SW Missouri

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posted 10 months ago

I got rooted sticks (not sure of the word today) from Missouri Conservation and planted them where they got good shade for half the day. Death to the paw paws. I'll try again when I have more trees to work with. I knew they wanted to be in shade, but was worth trying them at less than 1.00 each.

Carla Burke

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posted 10 months ago

Bryant RedHawk wrote:I have located a nursery in the Ozarks that sells 3 year old trees so I may give it another go in the future.

Oo, ooo, ooo! Share the name, please? I'm looking for pawpaw, myself, and just moved to the Ozarks! 😁😁😁

The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance.~Ben Franklin

Bryant RedHawk

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Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5

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posted 10 months ago

BlossomNursery

There you go Carla.

Redhawk

Dennis Bangham

pollinator

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Location: Huntsville Alabama (North Alabama), Zone 7B

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posted 10 months ago

If you go to the KSU Pawpaw site they have names of nurseries that sell the grafted hybrids and named varieties. You can also request free seeds after they harvest their fruit.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss

Carla Burke

gardener

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posted 10 months ago

Bryant RedHawk wrote:BlossomNursery

There you go Carla.

Redhawk

THANK YOU, Dr. Redhawk!!!😁😁😁

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