Apricot

Apricot is the stone fruit that teases Western Washington gardeners. The pink-white flowers open early, February to March, beautiful and fragrant against bare branches, and the fuzzy, golden-orange fruit that follows in summer is one of the most satisfying things you can grow. But apricot is a tree of continental climates: hot summers, cold winters, dry air. It was domesticated in China and cultivated across Central Asia and the Mediterranean for millennia. Growing it successfully in our cool, wet maritime climate requires strategy.

The primary challenge is rain during bloom. Apricot flowers early, and Western Washington's February and March rains coincide with bloom, promoting brown rot (Monilinia) that destroys flowers and developing fruit. The solution is site selection and cultivar choice: plant against a south-facing wall with maximum sun exposure and overhead rain protection if possible. Choose cultivars bred for cool, maritime climates. Five diseases are tracked, and the wet-spring disease pressure is real. If you accept that production will be variable, good years and lost years, and you site the tree for maximum warmth and drainage, apricot rewards the effort with fruit that the grocery store cannot match.