I live on Bowen Island and would love to plant an Almond or two. Can anyone recommend a good variety? If you have some hints about how to give it a good start, I'd like that too.
'Hall's Hardy', a hybrid almond has been sold in garden centers here and seems to be comparatively successful. Non-hybrid almonds also grow in this region, more than one Seattle yard has both kinds. As with stone fruits (plums, peaches etc.) these are Prunus and may develop pest or disease issues. If nothing else you may have problems with squirrels going for the nuts.
I received some Hall's Hardy seed from Seed Savers Exchange a few years ago. Didn't realise it was a hybrid. Does this mean it is part peach/part almond? Can one get anything useful from seed?
Thanks for your help. I assumed that almonds were grafted onto peach stalk. Is this not so? We have both peach and plumb which haven't had diseases. The squirrel problem is likely to be a difficult one depending on where we plant it.
Yes: common name hybrid almond is used for crosses between peach and almond trees. Have wondered if some seedlings had been grown as 'Hall's Hardy' as nut characters seem to vary, I have not encountered bitterness in those sampled here whereas others have reported it elsewhere. Rootstocks for almond trees I see mentioned below are a plum and a hybrid between a plum and an apricot. http://www.raintreenursery.com/catalog/producttype.cfm?producttype=ALMO
