Question:  I live in Austin, tx zone 8. Alkaline, shallow clay  soil with hot, dry summers.  Would the Pakistan, Black Beauty or Persian mulberry do well here? Which would you recommend. I tend to like fruit on the sweeter side.
Do you also have a local retail nursery you can recommend in the area  ?

Thank you.

Asha - Austin, TX

Answer: I think your comment about hot, dry summers is an understatement based upon this record breaking year you have been having!  Hope rain comes your way soon.

You have a lot of great independent retail nurseries in and around Austin and we sell to most of them so I would get myself in hot water recommending one over the others.  I will list them below with their phone numbers for you to call.  If they do not have any in stock, they can order them to arrive in January (bareroot delivery).

Which ones to chose?  First, they are all budded on Russian Mulberry rootstock - a tough, cold hardy rootstock that grows well nearly everywhere.  It will handle alkaline and clay.  Mulberries will require water although once well established they are pretty drought tolerant.  We can show you neglected mulberries in New Mexico where the weather is harsher than yours and surviving with no care from landlords.  The shallowness of your soil gives some concern for any tree.  If you can break through your hard-pan so the roots have somewhere to go for support and deeper water, you would be more successful.

The Pakistan, Black Beauty and Persian all have excellent fruit.  (Type in "mulberry" in the search box above for more articles/photos about fruiting mulberries).  All should produce well in your climate although I hesitate greatly about the Pakistan.  As a mature tree it will do well, but we find the youngest trees just out of our field harvest are not hardened off enough for cold weather in its first year.  Once you get it beyond the first winter, it should do well.  All three come from harsh climates (cold and hot) in the Middle East.  Although everyone is impressed by the long, good tasting Pakistan fruit, because of first year tenderness risk, you will be safer to enjoy the Persian or Black Beauty trees and fruit.  The Black Beauty is a smaller growing tree (or bush) so the choice between these two is usually over mature size desired.  Both come in tree or bush forms.

Here is a list, in alphabetical order, of nurseries in the Austin area which buy from us based on 2011-12 orders.  This list will be obsolete in successive years since things always change. You can call them to see if they have or will order the trees you want.

Barton Springs Nursery (Austin) - 512-328-7889

Green 'n Growing (Pflugerville) 512-251-3262

Hill Country Landscape (Austin) - 512-258-0093

It's About Thyme (Austin) - 512-280-1192

McIntire Garden Center (Georgetown) - 512-863-8243

The Natural Gardener (Austin) - 512-288-6113

Olde Thyme Gardens (Taylor) - 512-352-3147

Red Barn Garden Center (Austin) - 512-335-8093

Sledd Landscape Nursery (Austin) - 512-478-9977

Vincent Landscapes (Austin) - 512-263-5088

Enjoy!

Ron Ludekens 9-7-2011