11 Fruit Trees You Should Never Grow in Your Yard

I’m never the first to discourage another gardener from trying out a new plant. Why not? Though experimenting in the garden is a great idea, planting fruit trees is different. Trees are often permanent! They grow for decades, filling empty spaces with long, woody branches. Plant the wrong one and you’ll have to deal with the aftermath.

Some unruly fruit trees, like ginkgo and sweet cherry, are messy, while others are invasive in North America. Instead of planting species that displace native trees and shrubs in our wild spaces, it’s better to choose a native type or a hybrid cultivar that won’t spread into the local ecosystem. 

Other unfit species depend on your location. Cold zone gardeners should avoid citrus and avocado, while mild zone growers should opt for tropicals that prefer warmer weather. No matter which kind you choose, think twice before selecting any of the 11 notorious fruit trees listed below!

Instead, opt for an easygoing fruit tree like one of these:

Lime Tree

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Key Lime Tree

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Lemon Tree

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Improved Meyer Lemon Tree

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Avocado Tree

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Cold Hardy Avocado Tree

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Callery Pear

	botanical name Pyrus calleryana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 30-50’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Callery pear, or Bradford pear, is a weedy pear variety native to parts of Asia. It grows rapidly, sprouting weak spongey wood that breaks easily. Sometimes suckers sprout from the roots, forming dense thickets. Fruitless cultivars aren’t safe either, as they cross-pollinate with the species kind and revert to their invasive tendencies. 

After flowering and fruiting, Callery pear spreads fruits throughout the region. Birds eat them and distribute the seeds further. They sprout in our forests, displacing trees that are beneficial for the ecosystem. Though pears aren’t native to North America, there are less weedy hybrids that are better for the garden; choose one of them instead of the Callery pear. 

Ginkgo

	botanical name Ginkgo biloba
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 50-80’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Not all ginkgos are bad! They’re dioecious, meaning separate trees are male and female. Male trees are better for gardens because they sprout flowers full of pollen that never develop into fruit. Avoid female ginkgos at all costs—their fruit is incredibly smelly! It falls to the ground and rots, emitting an acrid smell unlike any other you’ve smelled before.

Most nurseries sell male cultivars, as the female varieties have little demand. Though smelly, the ginkgo fruit holds a valuable treasure. The nuts inside are edible, though the smelly flesh is toxic. Wash off all of the flesh first before toasting or roasting the nuts. 

White Mulberry

	botanical name Morus alba
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 30-60’
	hardiness zones 4-8

White mulberries are incredibly ornamental, though they’re messy and invasive! They sprout inconspicuous green-yellow flowers in spring. After successful pollination and fertilization, they mature into fruits that look like elongated blackberries. Each fruit cluster contains many seeds that sprout readily in temperate climates.

Growers near the East Coast are in luck—there’s a native mulberry alternative that’s perfect for adding edible fruit, summer shade, and pollinator value to your garden. It’s the red mulberry, Morus rubra. West Coast and Midwest growers should try an alternative like blackberry or raspberry.

Sweet Cherry

	botanical name Prunus avium
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15-30’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Sweet cherries sprout delicious fruits that taste great fresh, in pies, and in jams and jellies. Though delicious, the sweet cherry species and its seedy cultivars spread into natural areas, displacing native trees and shrubs. 

There are cherry and plum varieties that originate in North America; they’re better options if you want to add beneficial pollen, fruit, and habitat space to the environment. Choose the black cherry, Prunus serotina, in eastern U.S. states, and opt for the bitter cherry, Prunus emarginata, in the West. 

Not all cherries are invasive! Most hybrids in fruit production orchards work well in home gardens, especially dwarf and semi-dwarf cultivars. Opt for varieties with a small stature; there’s a higher chance you’ll collect all the cherries from a small tree versus a large, towering one. Once you collect all the cherries, the tree has no way of spreading into wild areas!

Higan Cherry

	botanical name Prunus x subhirtella
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 30-50’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Higan cherries are similar to sweet cherries, except they grow off naturally occurring hybrids that sprout in Japan. In the U.S., this hybrid and its cultivars often spread cherry seed into wild spaces. Birds eat the cherries and drop the seeds as they fly, or mammals carry the seeds near where they live. Once the seed germinates, it sprouts into a large deciduous tree with a rambling root system.

Higan cherries are better for the environment if they’re a fruitless cultivar. Flowering cherries produce gorgeous blossoms without edible fruit, thus avoiding unintended saplings sprouting in wild spaces. If you desire the fruit, opt for a dwarf or semi-dwarf variety you can easily manage.

Peach

	botanical name Prunus persica
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 15-25’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Peaches are sweet, juicy, and delicious! They’re one of the best fruits; their soft flesh and thin skins work well in fresh dishes, desserts, and smoothies. Though delicious, peaches grow on trees that face issues in wet, cold, regions like the Pacific Northwest. 

Peach leaf curl is the most common affliction facing peaches in cold regions. A fungus causes new growth to curl and mottle in spring. The best way to avoid this issue is to plant disease-resistant varieties. If peach leaf curl is prevalent in your area, treat your peaches with an organic copper fungicide before the buds open up in early spring.

Citrus

	botanical name Citrus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10-30’
	hardiness zones 9-11

Citrus trees include lemons, grapefruits, limes, and their hybrids. They’re warm-loving species that prefer subtropical and tropical regions to grow well. Though some lemons and limes are cold tolerant, they don’t survive long periods of freezing temperatures.

Opt for keeping a citrus tree indoors in a pot near a bright window, or choose cold-hardy varieties with tangy qualities. The kumquat is a lovely species that sprouts grape-sized citrus with edible skin. The tree survives light frosts in zone 9, though it can make it through winters in zone 8 with extra protection. ‘Improved’ Meyer lemon is another great choice—it tolerates frosts from zones 8 through 11. 

Avocado

	botanical name Persea americana
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 30-40’
	hardiness zones 10-12

Like citrus trees, avocados are large, towering specimens that thrive in tropical and subtropical regions. They prefer warm temperatures during the growing season and cool, mild ones during winter. Though cold-tolerant, they’re not frost-hardy and struggle in temperate zones 8 and below. 

Opt for a cold-hardy avocado tree to try cultivating the creamy fruits. It’ll do well from zones 8b through 11, though it may suffer fruit loss during extreme winters in zone 8. 

Unlike dwarf citrus, avocados grow into giant trees with long taproots; they struggle to grow in containers. You may keep young saplings in pots for their early life, moving them indoors for safety in winter. They’ll eventually need large pots or in-ground beds to accommodate their large taproots. 

European Hazel

	botanical name Corylus avellana
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 12-20’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Hazels, or filberts, are iconic trees throughout the U.S. They produce edible nuts that taste delicious after roasting, and their deciduous green leaves offer summer shade in woodland and forested areas. Not all hazels are the same—there are native and non-native varieties that grow differently.

Instead of the meddlesome European hazel, opt for the beaked or American hazel instead. These two native species excel across the states; their smaller stature makes them easier to fit into gardens. The European hazel may cross-breed with native ones, forming hybrids that push the existing species out of their habitats. 

Black Walnut

	botanical name Juglans nigra
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 50-90’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Though the black walnut originates from the eastern U.S., it isn’t a great tree for the home garden! Black walnut produces juglone, a chemical that disrupts seed germination and root growth in other plants. This decreases competition, allowing the black walnut to take over the site. 

Not only does this tree harm other plants, but it also reaches towering heights of up to 90 feet tall! It’ll shade out other smaller specimens and create bare patches where grass, perennials, and shrubs struggle to grow. If you are growing black walnut, cultivate perennials that tolerate juglone beneath it like ninebark or nodding onion. 

Pecan

	botanical name Carya illinoinensis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 70-100’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Pecans originate from North America! So why are they not the best species for home gardens? They reach impressive heights of 100 feet tall, towering over small garden specimens. To get pecan nuts, you’ll need two or three trees for proper flower pollination and fertilization. Three giant specimens are a lot for a yard!