Peach Blushingstar Dwarf

Blushingstar Peach

Blushingstar® Dwarf Peach / Blushing Star White Peach

‘Blushingstar’ is a self-pollinating, dwarf deciduous fruit tree that produces firm, high-quality white-fleshed peaches with attractive red-blushed skin. The fruit is freestone, sweet, and noted for resisting browning when cut, making it especially good for fresh eating, fruit salads, desserts, and canning. It blooms in spring with showy pink peach flowers, develops green summer foliage, and ripens late in the peach season. Stark Bro’s describes Blushingstar® as a cold-hardy, heavy-bearing white peach with resistance to bacterial spot.

Type: Deciduous fruit tree / dwarf peach
Mature Size: 8–10 ft. wide × 8–10 ft. tall when grown on dwarfing rootstock; standard-size forms may grow larger
USDA Zones: 4a–8b
Form: Compact, rounded dwarf fruit tree
Light: Full sun
Soil / Water: Fertile, well-drained soil; average water during establishment and fruit development; avoid wet, poorly drained sites
Bloom Time / Length: Early to mid spring; pink blossoms are showy but can be damaged by late frost
Fruit Time: Late season; commonly listed as ripening in mid-August, with some regional variation.
Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other pollinating insects; ripe fruit may attract birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other wildlife

Features & Landscape Uses:
Excellent for small orchards, edible landscapes, backyard fruit gardens, sunny borders, and compact fruit plantings. ‘Blushingstar’ is especially useful where a cold-hardy white peach is wanted. The fruit is medium to large, firm, and attractive, with a sweet white-flesh flavor that works well for fresh eating and preserving. Fedco notes that it came from the Stellar peach breeding program in Michigan in the late 1990s.

Care:
Plant in full sun with good air circulation. Prune yearly during dormancy to maintain an open center, control height, and encourage productive young wood. Thin young fruit when crops are heavy to improve fruit size and reduce branch stress. Watch for common peach issues such as peach leaf curl, brown rot, borers, and bacterial spot, though ‘Blushingstar’ is noted for bacterial spot resistance. Avoid frost pockets in colder areas.

Pollination:
Self-pollinating, so one tree can produce fruit; nearby peaches or nectarines may improve overall fruit set.

Plant type

Fruit Tree

Height

8-10'

Width

8-10'

Hardiness zones

4–8

Sunlight

Full Sun

Growth rate

Moderate

Bloom time

Early Spring, Mid Spring

Flower color

Pink

Leaf color

Green

Fall color

Red

Attracts

Bees, Butterflies

Soil

Moist well-drained, Rich

Landscape use

Fruit, Home Orchard

Shape

Compact, Rounded

Fragrant

Yes

Drought tolerant

No