Peach

Value to bees

Nectar

High

Pollen

High

As a honey crop

Minor honey crop — a surplus only locally or occasionally

Which bees, and why

Self-fertile and still measurably more productive with insect visits. In China, where most of the world's peaches grow, hand pollination is practised in some districts where wild pollinators have declined.

Worth knowing

A good early nectar and pollen source across the orchard regions.

As a crop

Flowering

Typically in flower

March to April (northern hemisphere)

Early, and vulnerable to frost during bloom.

A typical window for the species, HoneyHQ synthesis — it moves with latitude, altitude and the year.

Growing it

Conditions

Full sun on free-draining soil with shelter from cold wet spring weather. Peach leaf curl is the principal problem in maritime climates.

Size

4-6 m tall, and readily fan-trained.

Native range

Northwestern China. Grown across the warm temperate world, with China producing the majority of the global crop.

Suits

Small gardens, Orchard, Walls and fences, Containers and window boxes

• Fan-train against a warm wall in cool climates and cover the fan through winter and early spring to keep leaf curl spores off.
• Fruits on the previous year's wood, so prune to keep new growth coming.
• Hand-pollinate in March with a soft brush if nothing is flying — it makes a real difference in a cold spring.

What it looks like

A small tree with narrow pointed leaves and deep pink five-petalled flowers borne directly on the previous year's wood before the leaves appear.