Peach Summer Pearl

Summer Pearl Peach

Stark® Summer Pearl™ Dwarf Peach

‘Summer Pearl’ is a dwarf or semi-dwarf deciduous fruit tree grown for medium to large, red-skinned, white-fleshed freestone peaches. The fruit is firm, tender, juicy, and sweet, making it good for fresh eating and especially useful for canning. Spring brings pink peach blossoms before the green foliage develops, followed by a mid- to late-summer peach crop. Stark Bro’s lists Summer Pearl™ as a hardy, productive, self-pollinating peach that ripens in August.

Type: Deciduous fruit tree / dwarf peach
Mature Size: 8–10 ft. wide × 8–10 ft. tall on dwarfing rootstock; larger if grown on semi-dwarf or standard rootstock
USDA Zones: 5a–8b
Form: Compact, rounded fruit tree
Light: Full sun
Soil / Water: Loamy, fertile, well-drained soil; average moisture during establishment and fruit development; avoid wet, poorly drained sites
Bloom Time / Length: Late spring bloom for a peach; pink flowers are showy but can still be damaged by late frost
Fruit Time: Mid to late August; one Clemson evaluation image shows fruit assessed in late July in South Carolina, so harvest timing varies by region.
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. ‘Summer Pearl’ is especially useful where a white-fleshed freestone peach is wanted with firm fruit texture. Stark Bro’s describes it as productive and popular with commercial growers, with “pearl white” flesh that is good fresh and ideal for canning.

Care:
Plant in full sun with good air circulation. Prune annually during dormancy to maintain an open-center shape, control height, and encourage productive young wood. Thin young fruit after set to improve fruit size and reduce branch stress. Watch for common peach problems such as peach leaf curl, brown rot, borers, bacterial spot, plum curculio, and late-frost flower damage.

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

Chill Requirement:
About 850 chill hours. 

Plant type

Fruit Tree

Height

8-10'

Width

8-10'

Hardiness zones

5–8

Sunlight

Full Sun

Bloom time

Late Spring

Flower color

Blue, Pink

Leaf color

Green

Fall color

Red

Attracts

Butterflies

Soil

Loamy, Moist well-drained, Rich

Landscape use

Fruit, Home Orchard

Shape

Compact, Rounded

Fruit

Yes

Fragrant

Yes

Drought tolerant

No