Garden Delight Miniature Nectarine Tree

$199.99
Each

This item is out of stock.

Supplies are limited so make sure you don't miss out next time by having us automatically notify you when it becomes available again.

Description

About the Garden Delight Miniature Nectarine Tree

Grow an abundance of fresh fruit on one of our smallest trees!

The Garden Delight Miniature Nectarine tree is a genetic dwarf developed by Floyd Zaiger in Modesto California, circa 1975. Designed to be compact yet fruitful, the Garden Delight is an excellent choice for small spaces and patios. It’s a heavy-bearing tree that only reaches 5-6 ft. In height.

Garden Delight is a show-stopping patio and landscape accent. With dense foliage and a beautiful spring display of dark pink, double blossoms that cover the branches. This dwarf tree is a cross between Red Grand Nectarine and a seedling of Flory dwarf peach. The result is large, juicy, sweet, freestone nectarines that ripen in mid-to-late August. The yellow-fleshed nectarines have an orange-like flavor. Great for cooking, baking and preserves.

How to Grow Garden Delight Nectarines

Garden Delight Nectarine trees thrive in warm climates. This compact fruit tree can easily be covered and protected from frost. Cooler regions can bring their container nectarine in for the winter – keeping in mind that this tree requires about 500 hours or so of winter chill hours. The natural spreading habit and non-vigorous growth make this tree easy to maintain.

Garden Delight is a self-pollinating fruit tree that prefers full sun and well-draining soil. It’s very dependable and considerably easy to grow!

Survival Guaranteed!

Since 1816, Stark Bro’s has promised to provide customers with the very best fruit trees and plants. It’s just that simple. If your trees or plants do not survive, please let us know within one year of delivery. We will send you a free one-time replacement, with a nominal shipping fee of $9.99. If the item in question is not available, we can issue a one-time credit to your account equaling the original product purchase price or issue you a refund. Read more about our warranty policy.

Characteristics

Bloom Color Pink
Bloom Time Early
Chill Hours 500
Fruit Color Yellow
Fruit Size Medium - Large
Hardiness Zone Range 6 - 9
Pollination Self-Pollinating
Ripens/Harvest August
Shade/Sun Full Sun
Soil Composition Loamy
Soil Moisture Well Drained
Soil pH Level 6.0 - 7.0
Taste Sweet
Texture Juicy, Firm
Years to Bear 2 - 4

Size & Spacing

Mature Size

When your tree matures, it will be approximately 4 - 6' tall x 4 - 6' wide.

Recommended Spacing

We recommend spacing these trees 4 - 6' apart to ensure room for growth.

Zone Compatibility

This Variety's Zone Range 6 - 9
My Hardiness Zone ?
The USDA hardiness zones offer a guide to varieties that will grow well in certain climates. Each zone corresponds to the minimum winter temperatures experienced in a given area. Make sure that your hardiness zone lies within the zone compatibility range of this variety before ordering.

Pollination

This variety is self pollinating.

In many cases, you may still want to plant pollinating partners to increase the size of your crops, but with self-pollinating varieties doing so is optional. Plant one of these varieties within 100' for best results.

Tools & Supplies

Having the proper tools and supplies when growing your own can make the difference between a good harvest and a great harvest! Here's a list that our experts recommend for this variety.

Planting & Care

Learn all about how to grow nectarine trees in The Growing Guide. An entire section of our website dedicated to your growing success.

Shipping Information

Estimated Delivery Date

This item is currently out of stock.

Arrives when it's time to plant

Your success is our priority. We work hard to make sure that your order arrives at the ideal time for planting in your location based on your local climate conditions.

Tags

We've 'tagged' this item with specific keywords that help you find other products that share features or characteristics with this one. Select a tag below to view all the items that have that particular trait.

Questions & Answers

Have a question? Ask owners.Have a question about this? Ask people who own it.
Start typing and see existing answers.
20 Questions
Why did you choose this?

I wanted to try a miniature fruit tree.

I wanted a variety of fruit tree for a small garden.

I wanted to improve the taste, texture of a peach tree that grew from store bought peach pits.

I wanted a small fruiting tree I could easily grow in a pot

If kept in a permanent container, what size of container would be best for this dwarf nectarine tree?

A pot with 20-24 inches diameter is ideal for growing nectarines in pots.

I'm in Zone 7-A, in which this tree is said to be compatible.  I want to plant this in the garden but I keep seeing mention of bringing the tree inside.  Can this thing not be planted outdoors?  Digging it up every winter seems suboptimal.

I’ve had mine planted outside for three years in 6B/7A and it’s been just fine with a heavy mulch through the winter months. Even the serious cold snaps and snows of this past winter haven’t hurt this spring’s beautiful blooms.

How to prune it ?

Hi Drew, I only got it a year ago. When it got cold it actually shed all it's leaves so I never touched it. It leafed out but no blooms. Should be interesting in what it does this winter. I do have it in a pot and kept it indoors during the winter. Most citrus don't require pruning unless they are huge tree's and they start blocking pathways and such. Hope this helps. Gail

What is the height and width of the mature tree?

Since its out of stock, we do not have the size in which we would offer. Once the item becomes available that information will be available at the top of page under "choose an option In general dwarf will be 8*10 ft tall and wide and the semi dwarf will be 12-15 feet tall and wide.

How does this tree get 500 chill hours if you must bring it inside for temps below 50 degrees? Zone compatibility is 6-9, I’m in 6 which means lots of days below 50.

Great question! The Garden Delight Miniature Nectarine Tree requires about 500 chill hours to ensure proper bud development and fruit production. Chill hours are generally the number of hours the tree is exposed to temperatures between 32°F and 45°F during the winter. These cooler temperatures trigger the tree's dormancy and allow it to rest before resuming growth in spring.

Here's how the chill hours work and how it applies to your zone:
Zone 6 (like your location): Your area will typically provide more than enough chill hours since you experience plenty of winter days with temperatures within the 32°F to 45°F range.

Indoors during extreme cold: If temperatures drop below 20°F consistently, the tree can experience damage. Therefore, the recommendation to bring the tree indoors during extreme cold is to prevent freezing, not to prevent chill hours. The tree will still accumulate enough chill hours if it's left outside for most of the winter and only brought in during extreme cold snaps (when temps dip below 20°F).

Balanced approach: You can leave the nectarine tree outside to accumulate chill hours naturally. When the temperature dips too low (below 20°F), move it into an unheated garage or a protected area where it will still be cold but not freezing.

By balancing outdoor exposure with protection during extreme cold, your nectarine tree should receive sufficient chill hours while being safeguarded from damaging temperatures.

Do I need to cut off new shoots on the stalk near ground level for the garden delight nectarine?

Yes those typically are called water sprouts or suckers and should be removed.

Can you espalier this tree?

Short answer is: yes. You can espalier practically any fruit tree, including this tree. The dwarf size is the easiest to espalier. Our detailed article can be found here: //www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/espalier-fruit-treesOur detailed article can be found here: //www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/espalier-fruit-trees

How old is the plant when it ships?

When shipped it will be 2 years of age.

Should we bring the tree grown on the ground, inside during winter?

If your Temps drop below 50 degrees it will need to be moved indoors in the winter months.

Can I grow in 40 gallon containers?

You can grow almost anything in a container! This excellent article will answer your questions and provide good advice. Please see "Growing Fruit Trees in Containers" //www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/article/fruit-trees-in-containers-pt1

Customer Reviews

20 Ratings
4.8out of 5 stars
20 Ratings

Rated 5 stars by 95% of reviewers

Rated 4 stars by 0% of reviewers

Rated 3 stars by 0% of reviewers

Rated 2 stars by 0% of reviewers

Rated 1 star by 5% of reviewers

1-10 of 20 Reviews
Rated 5 out of 5
Jul 28, 2025
Live tree, happy customer
Last year mine didn't survive. Thanks to the one year guaranteed of live plant. I did the scratch test and indeed it didn't make it. this year I used the credit and bought home a new one. It's happily growing. Thanks !!
Rated 5 out of 5
Jul 22, 2025
The foliage is very attractive making this a very attractive tree even without flowers or fruit.
Excellent packaging. Received and planted same day. This one was the last to wake up from dormancy out of the trees that purchased. It is extremely healthy with many leaves and some new growth. The foliage is very attractive making this a very attractive tree even without flowers or fruit. Looking forward to the fruit.
Rated 5 out of 5
Jul 18, 2025
Dwarf nectarine review
I received the product a couple of weeks later than I originally expected. The tree came in very good shape and well packaged. In the few months I have had it, it has filled out nicely and very healthy. I couldn't have asked for a nicer plant (and I am hard to please!). I will purchase more trees from them in the future.
Rated 5 out of 5
Mar 21, 2025
Doing well
So far doing good. Container planted bare root at the end of Jan 2024 (because that is when they sent it) zone 9 that previously was zone 8. Grew lots of leaves 2024. Flowers and leaves 2025.
Rated 5 out of 5
Jan 13, 2025
Great tree
I purchased in 2023. I had fruit, a lot! In 2024. I highly recommend
Rated 5 out of 5
Sep 21, 2024
The tree was very healthy when I received it. It has a good number of buds on it already.
Rated 5 out of 5
Aug 21, 2024
Very fast growing, no fruit this year, maybe next year?
Rated 5 out of 5
Jul 14, 2024
great plants
We ordered 4-5 bushes and 2 trees and they all survived, and are doing well. We were very impressed with the quality and health of all the plants.
Rated 5 out of 5
Jul 10, 2024
Nice Addition
Arrived well, looked puny, but took off, looks great, still small but pretty
Rated 5 out of 5
Jul 7, 2024
We are pleased with both trees. They were very healthy when they arrived and are doing great now several months later.