The soft-fruit range
The Les Trois Chênes nursery offers a varied range of soft fruit selected for flavour, disease resistance and vigour.
Vaccinium Berkeley
Characteristics:
This very vigorous variety has thick olive-green wood, almost yellowish in winter. It forms a well-branched bush and has the advantage of being self-fertile.
Taste / Fruit:
This variety has good flavour. The fruit is large, slightly flattened, very aromatic, with thin skin. A fruit best kept for short supply chains and processing, as it goes soft fairly easily in the heat.
Yield:
Good yields over 5-6 weeks, but requires regular picking every 4 days.
Ripening:
Fruit ripens over 6 weeks (from late July to early September).
Diseases:
May be prone to splitting in wet years.
Moderate resistance to winter moth attack.
An American variety introduced in 1949.
Vaccinium Blue Crop
Characteristics:
The most widely planted variety in the world, Blue Crop forms a bush up to 2 m tall with an upright habit and vigorous growth. It adapts well to any soil type. This variety is very resistant to winter cold and to drought. Blue Crop also has the advantage of being self-fertile.
Taste / Fruit:
This variety has good flavour. Ripe berries hold well on the plant. The calyx is naturally small to medium. Deep blue in colour, the fruit is large, firm, tangy and fragrant.
Yield:
It has good productivity with high yields and stores and travels well. Hand-picked in good conditions, the fruit can be kept for several weeks in cold storage. It is also well suited to mechanical harvesting, on the final pass only.
Ripening:
Fruit ripens over 5 to 6 weeks (from mid-July to early September).
Diseases:
In a healthy environment this cultivar is robust and resistant to Red Ringspot virus. It can, however, prove relatively susceptible to anthracnose.
An American variety bred in 1934.
Vaccinium Hardy Blue
Characteristics:
A vigorous, upright variety with very dark, almost black, oval fruit. Its very dark green foliage in spring and summer turns orange-yellow in autumn. A deciduous and self-fertile variety.
Taste / Fruit:
This variety has good flavour. Ripe berries hold well on the plant. Deep blue in colour, the fruit is medium-sized, firm, sweet and fragrant.
Yield:
It has good productivity with high yields. Hand-picked in good conditions, the fruit can be kept for several weeks in cold storage. It is also well suited to mechanical harvesting, on the final pass only.
Ripening:
Fruit ripens over 5 to 6 weeks (from mid-July to early September).
Diseases:
In a healthy environment this cultivar is robust and resistant
Vaccinium Ivanhoe
Characteristics:
The "Ivanhoe" blueberry is an upright shrub with open growth and golden to pale green wood. It can reach 2 m in height and has the advantage of being self-fertile.
Taste / Fruit:
Its very large, rounded fruits are a superb deep blue. They are firm and have a deliciously fragrant, tangy flavour.
Yield:
Yields are high. An excellent variety whose fruit does not split in the rain.
Ripening:
Fruit ripens from late June to late July.
Diseases:
In a healthy environment this cultivar is robust and resistant.
Vaccinium Jersey
Characteristics:
Vaccinium Jersey is an upright, very vigorous shrub with erect, spreading growth and pale green wood. It can reach 2 m in height and has the advantage of being self-fertile and having good cold resistance.
Taste / Fruit:
This variety has large, deep blue fruit (which can be up to 1 cm across), firm, with a tangy and very fragrant flavour.
Yield:
A late, very productive variety that is easy to grow and to pick. It is well suited to mechanical harvesting and to processing.
Ripening:
Fruit ripens from mid-July to late September.
Diseases:
In a healthy environment this cultivar is robust and resistant.
Vaccinium Legacy
Characteristics:
Vaccinium Legacy is a bushy shrub with compact, somewhat spreading growth (1 m to 1.5 m tall when mature). It has the advantage of being self-fertile and having good resistance to cold and drought (ideal for climates in the south of France).
Taste / Fruit:
Its medium-sized round fruits are a beautiful bloomy pale blue. They are firm, fragrant, tasty and easy to pick.
Yield:
A very productive variety that travels well, keeps well and freezes well.
Ripening:
Its blueberries are picked between July and August.
Diseases:
In a healthy environment this cultivar is robust and resistant.
Vaccinium Patriot
Characteristics:
A vigorous, well-branched variety, often wide-spreading, with beautiful autumn colour. It has the advantage of being self-fertile and having good cold resistance.
Taste / Fruit:
Fruit of good size and good flavour. The fruit clusters are very tight, which makes picking a little more awkward as ripe berries are not always easy to spot.
Yield:
A very productive variety (more than 15 kg per plant). Not recommended for sale as fresh fruit, but particularly well suited to processing.
Ripening:
Early ripening spread over 7 weeks from mid-July to late August.
Diseases:
A variety resistant to caterpillar and scale-insect attack and to phytophthora.
An American variety introduced in 1976.
Vaccinium Spartan
Characteristics:
The "Spartan" blueberry is a vigorous shrub with upright, somewhat open growth.
Taste / Fruit:
Its large fruits are a magnificent pale to deep blue. They are firm, deliciously fragrant and particularly tasty.
Yield:
A very productive variety.
Ripening:
Very early ripening spread over 4 weeks between late June and early July.
Diseases:
In a healthy environment this cultivar is robust and resistant.
Rubus fruticosus Oregon
Characteristics:
A giant blackberry with very decorative cut foliage. In autumn the leaves take on a very attractive bright red tint. This small shrub, with stems that are often thorny, bears fruit in dense clusters, sweet and fragrant. Decorative, semi-evergreen foliage.
Taste / Fruit:
Juicy black fruit with a milder flavour than the classic blackberry.
Yield:
Good.
Ripening:
August to September.
Special features:
It is happy in any soil type. Full sun. To be eaten fresh or made into jam. Suited to more decorative uses, on pergolas and trellises, near terraces.
Rubus fruticosus Tornfree
Characteristics:
This thornless giant blackberry forms a clump and grows quickly (1.5 m to 2.5 m tall). It tolerates shade well and likes a moist, rich soil, even chalky.
Taste / Fruit:
The very dark black fruits are large and firm. Excellent in fruit salads, jams and jellies.
Yield:
Good.
Ripening:
July to September.
Special features:
Rubus fruticosus Tayberry
Characteristics:
A cross between blackberry and raspberry, also known as a tayberry-type hybrid. Thornless stems.
Taste / Fruit:
Large elongated fruit (4 to 5 cm), deep red, sweet and fragrant, with a flavour halfway between blackberry and raspberry.
Yield:
Good.
Ripening:
July.
Special features:
Excellent for jam. A plant suitable for any garden, even at altitude.
Rubus Thornless Loganberry
Characteristics:
This hybrid is a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. A small shrub with deciduous foliage and a bushy habit (thornless stems), this variety is very productive and vigorous (hardy to -15°C).
Taste / Fruit:
Long, elongated red fruit (3-4 cm), glossy, with a strong raspberry flavour. The red fruits darken as they fully ripen. Borne in bunches, the clusters should be picked fully ripe. They are excellent eaten fresh: sweet with a slight acidity. They can also be used in jams and jellies, sorbets, or even frozen.
Yield:
Very good and abundant.
Ripening:
July to August.
Special features:
To make picking easier and to support the trailing shoots, training is advisable. Ideally, train it along a wall on about 3 rows of wires. A sunny position and rich soil give the best results. This is a bramble that likes damp soils and sheltered spots.
Ficus Brown Turkey
Characteristics:
Low vigour, small to medium size (4 to 6 m across and 2.5 to 4 m tall), with a very decorative, bushy habit. A twice-bearing variety.
Taste / Fruit:
Elongated fruit, brown to purple-brown in colour, with red flesh that is mild and sweet; it can be cooked, made into jam or eaten fresh. Moderate eating quality.
Yield:
Very resistant to cold (-20°C) and to altitude. It is the most common variety in eastern France.
Ripening:
The breba fig (June/July) has a very pronounced neck, is medium-sized and weighs 40 to 45 g. The autumn fig (September to October) is smaller, at 30 to 35 g, and less elongated.
Special features:
In 1834 Rogers noted that in England it produced almost all year round in pots under glass. It remains a variety worth considering for extreme locations, thanks to its wood's very good resistance to winter frost and its fruit's resistance to bad weather.
Ficus Brunswick
Characteristics:
A tree of moderate vigour, 4 to 6 m across and 2.5 to 4 m tall, with an upright habit and stocky, thick branches. A twice-bearing variety.
Taste / Fruit:
A variety with large golden fruit. The seeds are few and the texture is fine. Its flavour is very refined and well balanced, with notes of peach and sometimes strawberry.
Yield:
Abundant crop. Cold resistant (-15°C).
Ripening:
The breba figs, which are very early (June), are marked by a well-defined neck and are large (100 to 120 g). The autumn figs (September/October), which are rounder, remain a good size and weigh 70 to 80 g.
Special features:
A variety fairly close to Madeleine des Deux Saisons.
Ficus Dauphine (Violette d'Argenteuil)
Characteristics:
A medium to large tree, early, vigorous and productive. Travels well. Recommended for growing in the southern half of France, wherever late spring frosts are uncommon. A twice-bearing variety.
Taste / Fruit:
Large fruit with almost black purple skin. Pink flesh, fragrant, very juicy and sweet. Thick skin. Very good eating quality.
Yield:
Abundant crop. Moderately cold resistant (-10°C).
Ripening:
Breba figs in July (100 to 150 g); autumn figs from September to October (60 to 100 g).
Ficus Dorée (Goutte d'Or)
Characteristics:
A small tree (2.5 to 4 m across and 2 to 3 m tall), with a very bushy, spreading habit, throwing up many suckers at its base. A useful variety for small spaces, easy to train or to grow in pots. Deeply cut, pale foliage with very pronounced veins that are much paler than the leaf blade on the upper surface. A twice-bearing variety.
Taste / Fruit:
Very large, elongated fruit, golden yellow in colour, with very sweet pink flesh. In damp conditions (soil that is too wet, dew, fog, rain) the fruit does not hold well (fermentation, fruit flies). In dry, warm conditions the fruit is of excellent quality, very sweet, with a very fine flavour and notes of strawberry. Despite its size, it is suitable for drying.
Yield:
Abundant crop. A variety that is very resistant to drought and cold (-15°C).
Ripening:
Breba figs in July (90 to 100 g) and autumn figs from mid-August to September (70 to 80 g), which are characterised by a fairly open eye.
Ficus Madeleine des 2 saisons
Characteristics:
A medium-sized tree (4 to 6 m across and 3 to 4 m tall), with an upright habit, very vigorous and with deciduous foliage. A twice-bearing variety.
Taste / Fruit:
Large fruit with thin golden yellow skin and pink flesh, juicy, very sweet, very good eating quality. Short shelf life. Few seeds. A very fine, well-balanced flavour with notes of peach. Its large size and fairly thin skin mean it does not hold up well in very damp conditions, when it tends to split.
Yield:
Abundant crop. A variety that is very resistant to cold (-15°C).
Ripening:
A very early breba fig (June) of good size (100 to 120 g). The autumn fig (from mid-August to October), which has no neck, is at first rounded and then flattens out at the end of the season, taking on a darker, more coppery tint. It is a little smaller, weighing 70 to 80 g.
Special features:
A fig grown at the Palace of Versailles under Louis XIV. A variety slightly more susceptible than others to scale insects.
Ficus Pastilière (Rouge de Bordeaux)
Characteristics:
A medium-sized tree (4 to 6 m across and 3 to 4 m tall), with an upright habit, very vigorous and with deciduous foliage. A twice-bearing variety.
Taste / Fruit:
Medium-sized fruit (55 to 65 g), red in colour, generally off-centre. Very thin, fragile skin, blue-tinged at the start of ripening and then black. Very fleshy, very fruity flesh that is not excessively sweet. A very fine flavour reminiscent of watermelon. It keeps well and can be eaten fresh, made into jam or dried.
Yield:
Abundant crop. Very resistant to cold (-20°C).
Ripening:
The earliest of the autumn fig varieties, ripening from August to October. In spring, many breba figs often appear on the previous year's shoots.
Anecdote:
Eisen, an American fig specialist, wrote in 1901: "If you were to plant a single black-fruited fig tree, it would certainly be this one. The tree's fine shape, its abundant crop and the superior quality of its fruit should make this variety the favourite of the Pacific Coast."
Ficus Sultane (Noire de Bellone)
Characteristics:
A medium-sized tree (5 or 6 m across and 3.5 to 5 m tall), with a decorative, rather upright habit while young. As it ages the branches tend to bend over and sometimes hang down to the ground. It has large, barely lobed leaves. A once-bearing variety.
Taste / Fruit:
Medium-sized fruit with purple skin and good eating quality. The seeds are fairly numerous but very pleasant to bite into. Rounded to elongated fruit with red, fragrant flesh.
Yield:
Abundant crop in autumn. Despite its size, it is suitable for drying. Very good resistance to damp and cold (-15°C).
Ripening:
Autumn figs from mid-August to October (50 to 70 g).
Special features:
A variety very widespread in the Alpes-Maritimes, much less so elsewhere. Sauvaigo described it there in 1889 as the Queen of Figs. It should not be confused with Sultane, which is sometimes called Bellone bifère.
Ficus Terza (Quinta)
Characteristics:
A vigorous variety discovered in Switzerland, the Terza fig (or "Quinta" fig) is a once-bearing variety.
Taste / Fruit:
Elongated fruit of a fine greenish yellow. Its flesh is fragrant and quite tasty.
Yield:
High productivity and good cold resistance (-15°C).
Ripening:
Its autumn figs are picked from around late August-September through to early November.
Actinidia female Hayward
Characteristics:
A climbing plant with a vigorous vine, very hardy (-20°C) and very decorative. The most widely grown variety.
Taste / Fruit:
Large, elongated cylindrical fruit (5 to 6 cm long), weighing between 90 g and 120 g, and up to 150 g for the largest kiwis. Downy brownish skin. Green flesh, tangy, fragrant, firm, juicy and sweet.
Yield:
Very good productivity and keeps very well.
Ripening:
November.
Special features:
This variety is pollinated by "Tomuri", at a rate of one male plant for every 6 Hayward.
Actinidia Tomuri
Characteristics:
Very hardy, this vigorous vine enjoys full sun and grows several metres a year, so plenty of space must be allowed to train the branches as they grow. A deciduous, very free-flowering pollinating plant. This male kiwi variety, 'Tomuri', provides the pollen needed to fertilise the female plants; its great vigour means it needs suitable support. Use it, for example, with the female variety 'Hayward', which produces very large fruit.
Taste / Fruit:
N/A
Yield:
N/A
Ripening:
June.
Special features:
Kiwis are not self-fertile (except for the "Solo" variety), which means the male and female flowers are on different plants. Both sexes must therefore be planted if you want to harvest any fruit: one male plant for every 4 to 5 female plants.
Actinidia Solo
Characteristics:
This vigorous vine enjoys full sun and grows several metres a year, so plenty of space must be allowed to train the branches as they grow. This variety is deciduous and self-fertile. Moderately hardy (-15°C), it suits damp climates that are warm in summer and mild in winter. The kiwi prefers a loose, moist soil.
Taste / Fruit:
Small fruit 3 to 5 cm long, with sweet, fragrant green flesh. Good eating quality and keeps well.
Yield:
It crops heavily, but the fruits are small compared with the "Hayward" variety.
Ripening:
October to January. In June, the previous year's shoots bear fragrant flowers, creamy white then cinnamon yellow.
Special features:
The Solo kiwi is the only self-fertile variety; it does not need other plants to be pollinated.