North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Martha L. Davis" <martha_davis@earthlink.net>]

Regarding invasive plants. I think it depends on where you live.  Wineberry 
does not appear to be invasive here.  An experinced gardening friend has lost 
it twice here in zone 5 new Mexico.

Regarding fruit in shade.  To some extent it depends on the climate in 
Illinois Cornus mas grew well in full sun to part shade.  In high elevation 
New Mexico.  It is stunted without at least part shade, though this may 
really be a moisture issue.

Regarding persimmons and shade.  Based on the experiences Jerry Lehman and I 
had at Claypool's orchard (southern Illinois), persimmon trees (the American 
one, D. virginiana) when crowded for sun grow much more vertically (and 
taller) and lose their lower limbs.  Eventually there was little access to 
scion wood and the fruit falls a much longer distance.  The trees in a wider 
landscape setting with sun from the sides remained shorter and kept their 
lower limbs.  I have also seen the same effect on different sides of the same 
tree.  Many tree do this, but the question was regarding persimmons.  I think 
various currents and gooseberries may be the most shade tolerant if you 
actually want fruit too and are in a temperate zone.  Pawpaws need shade when 
they are young, but once the one I had on the North side of a 6 foot fence 
got above the fence there were many more flower buds on the part that had 
full sun than the shaded part.  Who knows how much sun It would tolerate in 
New Mexico.


Martha