Milan Havlis - gardening

Issai is a self-fertile variety of the so-called mini-kiwi. This means that unlike the species it does not need a male and a female plant to produce fruit. Apart from tasty fruit it is a nice plant, too, with deep green leaves and scented flowers in June. It is a vine that is ...

Jenny is another self-fertile variety of kiwi. This means that it does not need a male and a female plant to produce fruit. Apart from tasty fruit it is a nice plant, too, with deep green leaves and scented flowers in June. It is a vine that bears hairy, brown fruit of the sa ...

Juneberry is a large shrub cultivated mostly for its delicious and healthy fruit. It is a large deciduous shrub or a small tree. Flowers are star-shaped, white and scented and appear in mid spring. Oval leaves are up to 8 cm long, emerge bronze and mature to green colour, turning scarlet r ...

Brilliant is one of the latest varieties of purple chokeberry which is a hybrid between red and black chokeberry. So far you can find it listed under three names: a.melanocarpa, a.arbutifolia, and a. x prunifolia which is probably the most correct name. It is cultivated for seve ...

Recently, less known fruit trees and shrubs are becoming more and more popular mainly thanks to their original taste as well as positive impact on our health. Black chokeberry is one of them. It is in the same rosaceae family as the service tree and its fruit is similar, too. The lustrous fruits are ...

Recently, less known fruit trees and shrubs are becoming more and more popular mainly thanks to their original taste as well as positive impact on our health. Black chokeberry is one of them. It is in the same rosaceae family as the service tree and its fruit is similar, too. The lustrous fruits are ...

Chestnut is cultivated for several beautiful features. The deciduous leaves are deep green, elliptic to oblong, up to 20 cm long, distinctly serrated and glossy, turning deep golden yellow in autumn. Flowers are creamy beige catkins that appear in July. They release a rather strong fragrance ...

Milky Way is an old time favourite. It has snow white to creamy white flowers. Technically, they are not flowers but 4 flower bracts composed around small flower heads. They are 6-10 cm wide and conspicuous as they come out in June when the shrub is in leaf, and the foliage makes a den ...

Another extraordinary Japanese flowering dogwood is called Teutonia and comes from Asia. Unlike cornus florida this type flowers when in leaf – in June. The flowers are tiny but surrounded by 4 large, creamy-white bracts, which can be 6-8 cm wide. Leaves are deep green, often ...

Hazel is a well-known shrub of European woodlands which is popular mainly for its nuts. It is a suckering, thicket-forming shrub with numerous upright stems. As it is a dense and large shrub it is used as a screening plant. It will also make a wild hedge which should be controlled if requi ...

Nearly everybody knows European hazel and most of us like its nuts. This common shrub was used to create something quite extraordinary – a curly version – corkscrew hazel. This slow growing shrub has contorted stems which are the main attraction especially in winter. Unlike the basic spe ...

One of the hardiest figs for our climate (zone 6) is named Brown Turkey. As the name suggests the fruit is brownish-red or blackish-purple, relatively large and sweet. They do not require pollination. Immature fruit and branches contain sap which can be an eye and lip-irritant. ...

Another hardy fig that can grow and even fruit in our climate (zone 6) is called Bornholm’s Diamond (Bornholms Diamant). Its name and characteristics were derived from a Swedish variety called Bornholm bred on on island of the same name. This one is more tolerant of damp w ...

Sea buckthorn is getting more and more attention as a healthy type of fruit of high medicinal value. Some gardeners may not like its and broomy appearance, while others may welcome its wild and rampant image. It is a deciduous, wide spreading bush with silvery leaves. Branches bear sharp ...

Common walnut is a native tree of the Old World. Its natural habitat lies between South-eastern Europe and Himalayas. Irrespective of its large size it is still one of the most sought-after fruit trees of our country. Walnut has attractive, pinnate foliage that have a unique scent. Flower ...

Honeyberry is an edible version of honeysuckle with fruit of similar taste and appearance of blueberry. Modrý triumf is a Czech variety selected for the best taste and heavy cropping. The fruit is sweet or sweet-and-sour, 25-35 mm long, oval, deep blue. The fruit ripens very ear ...

Golden Delicious is a favourite apple brand. It comes from the USA, 1890. The fruit is sweet, juicy and crisp, of golden yellow to greeny-yellow colour. Its size is dependent on soil fertility. The fruit can be very large. It is usually trouble-free as far as late frosts and ...

Melrose is an attractive and tasty late apple. It is a result of crossing Jonathan and Red Delicious. The apples are sweet and crunchy. Their colour is red. Ideal snack apple or for cooking. Tastes best about one month from picking. It can be stored until end February. Apple ...

Royal Gala is one of the most popular apples around the world. It comes from New Zealand and is a result of crossing Golden Delicious and Cox’s Orange Pippin from the 1970´s. These apples are very attractive – red with orange yellow stripes. They are sweet and jui ...

Starking is an apple variety with red-flushed or pure red skin. The fruit is sweet and aromatic. It ripens in October and matures stored in December. It can be stored by March. Pruning is needed for good cropping and if you wish to keep the tree compact. Starking is a self-st ...

Medlar is a less known fruit tree from S.W.Asia. It is a small tree or a large deciduous shrub whose close relative is loquat, a less hardy species of the same genus. So if you are looking for a tree with similar foliage but hardier try this one. The mid green leaves are stiff, part ...

Black mulberry is a versatile plant used in ornamental landscaping as well as pomiculture. You can find it in standard forms with a long trunk, or as a half-standard which is suitable for easy fruit picking. It can also be seen grown as a shrub densely branched from the ground. Deciduous l ...

Bergeron apricot is a famous and reliable variety grown around the world. Its flowers are susceptible to frost. Self-fertile. The fruit is rounded or oblong, mid-sized to large, orange with red blush. They ripen early: from mid-summer. They are aromatic and sweet, medium juicy, with ...

Luizet apricot is one f the most suitable ones from our climate because it blooms late which helps it avoid late spring frost. On the other hand it is an early variety with fruit maturing in mid-summer. Fruit is rounded to oval, deep orange with irregular red flushes, very ar ...

Velkopavlovická is our native variety of apricot tree. It is a self-fertile cultivar from Moravia suitable for mild climates. The fruit is more or less rounded, mid-sized to large, orange with red blush. It ripens in the second half of summer. Fruit is aromatic and sweet, med ...

Burlat is an early variety of sweet cherries. The fruit is vivid to dark red, mid-sized or large, very sweet and juicy, with medium firm flesh. As it is very precocious it is not vermicular. It is partly self-fertile but benefits from being pollinated by another early cherry. ...

Napoleon is a mid-season variety of sweet bigarreau cherry. Its fruit ripens in early July. Fruit is large, heart-shaped, yellow and red, getting deeper red as it matures on the tree. The flesh is aromatic, sweet, and has excellent taste. It needs protection from cherry-worms. ...

Van is a mid-season variety of sweet cherry. Its fruit ripens in early July. Fruits are large, heart-shaped, deep red, almost black. The flesh is aromatic, sweet, and has excellent taste. It needs protection from cherry-worms. It is not self-fertile and needs a pollinated for ...

Reine Claude Dorée is a French variety of sweet plum with large, round fruit of green to greeny-yellow fruit of delicious, sweet and juicy taste. It ripens at the end of August. It flowers in May and is not self-fertile. It means that it needs another plum tree variety nearby ...

Reine Claude d´Oullins is another French variety out of Reine Claude range. It is a plum tree with large, spherical fruit of greeny-yellow fruit. It is delicious, sweet and juicy taste, the flesh is attached to the core. It is an early variety that ripens from mid to end of Augu ...

Reine Claude Violette is a French variety of sweet plum with mid-sized, round fruit of violet fruit. It has delicious, sweet and juicy taste and ripens at the end of August. It flowers in May and is self-fertile. It can be kept smaller by pruning. Young trees should be prune ...

Stanley is one of the most tasteful and reliable varieties of plums. The fruit is sweet and juicy, though firm. Flesh is orange-yellow, skin is smooth, deep violet-blue. The fruit is excellent fresh as well as canned, high sugar content makes them ideal for drying. It blooms ...

Bonanza is a dwarf variety of peach with excellent fruit. It has profusion of typical peach-like, bright pink flowers that are clustered along short branches in a dense plant. The leaves are mid green, semi-glossy, narrow and elongated, and not much smaller than on a classic pea ...

Nigra is a spectacular new variety of dwarf ornamental peach with edible fruit. It has profusion of typical peach-like, light pink flowers that are clustered along short branches in a dense crown. The leaves are fantastic deep burgundy red and glossy, narrow and elongated, and n ...

Pink Peachy is a dwarf variety of ornamental peach with edible fruit. It has profusion of typical peach-like, pink flowers that are clustered along short branches in a dense crown. The leaves are mid green, semi-glossy, narrow and elongated, and not much smaller than on a classi ...

Red Peachy is a dwarf variety of ornamental peach with edible fruit. It has profusion of typical peach-like, red flowers that are clustered along short branches in a dense crown. The leaves are mid green, semi-glossy, narrow and elongated, and not much smaller than on a classic ...

Redhaven is one of the most successful commercial varieties of peach in the world. It comes from the USA, and was registered in 1973. It flowers profusely, is self-fertile and very productive. The fruit is mid-sized, with yellow and red hairy skin and yellow flesh and ripens ...

Not only Japanese ornamental cherries can create the typical spring atmosphere in your garden. We have an exquisite small tree with flowers that can easily beat cherries. It is an ornamental flowering peach with quite large, bowl-shaped pink flowers with numerous deep pink to red stamens. Leaves hav ...

SpringCrest peach tree is another favourite growing happily in our garden and bearing fruit every year. It has proved hardy to -27°C with no damage. It flowers in mid-season here, and early in warmer parts of the country. We suggest planting it in free space so it can feel co ...

The best fruit always comes from your own garden, when you can pick them up on a hot, sunny day. We are pleased to offer this variety of peach tree which we tested and tasted! Incredibly sweet and fragrant with white flesh and large fruits that ripen already in July. Young trees are not strong enoug ...

Big Top® is a yellow-flesh nectarine with regular, rounded, mid-sized fruit with deep red skin. It has excellent, sweet, taste. It is not easily detached from stone. Flowering is not abundant but very productive. It flowers from end March until early April. Fruit ripens usua ...

Clapps Favourite is an early pear tree variety that was first introduced in the USA before 1860. It bears medium-sized pears with greeny-yellow skin, red flushed. The flesh is sweet, soft and juicy, “melt in the mouth”. It is ideal snack fruit eaten just as picked fr ...

Conference is a famous pear tree from the 19th century. It was first introduced at the National British Pear Conference in 1885, hence its name. It has medium-sized fruit that is pyriform if cross-pollinated, or banana-shaped if self-pollinated. The fruit is pale green with ...

William's is probably the most known and spread out pear in the world. Not long after it was introduced in the 18th century there was a red-coloured sport called simply Red William’s or William’s Red. It is an early variety bearing mid-sized or large fruit ...

Williams is probably the most known and spread out pear in the world. Its complete name is Williams bon Chretien and comes from the UK, 18th century. It is an early variety bearing mid-sized or large fruit with light green or yellow skin. The flesh is very juicy, aromatic, an ...

VARIETIES Autumn Bliss is a superb raspberry variety making delicious red fruit. They ripen from August until the first frosts if the plant is cut back in autumn or before spring. Then it makes fruit on current year’s wood. If the old canes are not cut they will set fru ...

Tayberry is relatively new type of summer fruit, a cross between raspberry and blackberry. The fruit looks like long raspberry and fully mature it has deep red to burgundy colour. The taste is aromatic and sweet, though somewhat sharp as in blackberries. They are best eaten fresh but you can ...

Mountain ash is a common tree in our country. In the 19th century a variety with edible fruit was found in Moravia, Czech Republic, it is called Edulis. It bears deciduous, pinnate leaves composed of deep green leaflets, serrated at margins. They change to orange, red and ye ...

Service tree is becoming popular in the Czech Republic again. It is believed that hundreds of years ago it was a common fruit tree in warmer parts of the country serving people with delicious and healthy fruit. These days it occurs naturally in České středohoří and south-eastern Moravia. The ...

Blue Ray is a mid-season variety of highbush blueberry with large fruit and high crop. The fruit is sweet and tasty, deep purple-blue with light flesh. This plant is not just an edible piece in your fruit garden but also a decorative item, mainly thanks to the burgundy red autumn colour of its smal ...

Bluecrop is a commercially successful variety of highbush blueberry with large fruit and reliable yearly crop. The fruit is sweet and tasty, deep purple-blue with light flesh.this plant is not just an edible piece in your fruit garden but also and decorative item, mainly thanks ...

Patriot is a sought-after variety of highbush blueberry with large fruit and reliable yearly crop. The fruit is early and has pleasantly sweet taste. Patriot is popular for its hardiness as well as tolerance towards poor and wetter soil which is usually fatal in most cases. Blueberries are not j ...

Reka is probably the heaviest producer among highbush blueberries. The fruit is smaller and resemble woodland blueberries. It is also one of the hardiest. It needs a pollinator = another variety of blueberry. Highbush blueberry needs full sun and acidic soil. Prepare a border ...

This grape vine is one of the best I ever had the pleasure of growing in our conditions. Very sweet and tasty with a Muscat aroma. It is relatively new but already a proven favourite in Europe. Bianca is good for wine as well as a table wine. The colour of grapes is light gre ...

Isabella is a non-European variety of grape vine with large grapes and mid-sized to large globules. The colour is dark purple, almost black. It has a special acidulated taste, sweet and aromatic. It is grown as table wine as well as for wine-making (Uhudler and Fragolino wines). ...