Peaches are the fruit that epitomize summer with their fragrance, intense flavor and juiciness. What else says "summer" more than peach pie, peaches sliced over ice cream or simply a ripe, luscious peach eaten out of hand.

But they are not just summer fruit and peach lovers can indulge in their favorite fruit for nearly six months of the year by planting varieties than ripen in succession. Start with Earlitreat, an excellent yellow, or Sauzee Swirl, a white and red donut, both of which start ripening in mid May. Flordaprince and May Pride ripen next, leading into Gold Dust, Tropic Snow and Double Jewel in June and into July. July ripeners are plentiful with Suncrest, Santa Barbara, Mid-Pride and Red Baron as examples.

August brings Elberta, Rio Oso Gem, August Pride and Kaweah to fruition while Sweet Bagel carries on into September to be joined by Fairtime. Finally, October sees Octoberfest and Carnival, new for this season and described below, bringing an end to the lengthy peach season. Of course, you will need to make sure that any varieties chosen are suitable for the zone and growing conditions in your area.

We have some exciting new items for this season!

First is White Knockout Apricot, an intensely flavored, sweet white apricot that has been receiving wide praise. White apricots are unusual and this variety is considered to be the best of all. In addition to the fabulous fruit, it also makes for a lovely small shade tree with attractive leaves and a mushroom like canopy.

Next is Freckle Face Nectarine, a yellow flesh variety with high sugar content and just the right amount of acidity. It has been a taste test winner two years in a row and gets its name from the speckles on its dark red over yellow skin. Carnival Peach is another addition for this year. It is a very late variety, ripening in late September to early October. The large red skinned freestone fruit comes on a vigorous, productive tree. TexKing Peach is a June ripening yellow semi-clingstone from Texas A & M and is particularly good for south and central Texas. TexStar Peach, also from Texas A & M, has large, red blushed yellow fruit on a heavy bearing tree, ripening in late June and July.

Returning to our catalog this season are Northpole and Scarlet Sentinel Apples, two columnar varieties excellent for small spaces and container growing. Northpole has juicy, crisp, aromatic McIntosh-like large red fruit while Scarlet Sentinel's fruit is very large, crisp and sweet with greenish yellow and red skin and pure white flesh. Also back is Autumn Royal Grape, a seedless late season purplish black variety great for fresh eating or raisins.

Four grapes, Crimson, Flame, Princess and Thompson, are back as bare root at the lower bare root price for those wanting larger quantities.

Container gardening continues to be very popular. Whether you use containers because of space issues or perhaps to add character to a patio or deck, we have many items to make your dreams come true.

Apples on Geneva, a dwarfing rootstock, make great container plants. Try a Fuji or Pink Lady in a large pot or Northpole or Scarlet Sentinel columnar if space is tight. An Ischia Green or Violette de Bourdeaux fig makes an excellent container specimen with the bonus of not being bothered much by pests or diseases.

A miniature peach such as Pix Zee or Snow Babe or a miniature nectarine like Nectar Babe or Garden Delight will also do well in a large pot and provide lovely flowers in the spring followed by wonderful summer fruit.

Blueberries make great container plants which also makes it easier to give them the very acidic soil that they need. Try Sunshine Blue, Jelly Bean, Pink Icing or Peach Sorbet for a naturally dwarf plant. Baby Cakes Blackberry and Raspberry Shortcake Raspberry are two small growing cane berries perfect for pots. Baby Cakes grows three to four feet with a rounded, compact habit, producing large, sweet berries in summer. Raspberry Shortcake is thornless and compact, growing to two to three feet, and produces an abundant crop of sweet berries in mid summer. No matter your situation, there is a container plant suitable for you!