Grimo Nut Nursery,
979 Lakeshore Road, RR#3,
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Canada L0S 1J0
grimonut.com
Few even experienced, knowledgeable gardeners consider nut trees when considering replacing an aged shade tree. Ernie Grimo has been an exceedingly active catalyst of change in southern Ontario. His nursery at Niagara-on-the-Lake, catalog and longstanding support of SONG, or Southern Ontario Nut Growers is proverbial.
Yet many novice gardener and qualified horticulturist alike still look askance at the idea of raising nuts in our province. Here then, is a selection of what the Grimo Nut Nursery offers, along with cultivation tips and background information:
- Heartnut (Juglans ailanifolia var. cordiformis), a seed sport of the Japanese walnut
- Buartnut (J. cinerea x J. ailantifolia), a cross of butternut and heartnut
- Butternut (J. cinerea), hardiest member of the walnut family
- Persian Walnut (J. regia), aka English, California or Carpathian walnut; the Polish Carpathian Mountain strain has proven the hardiest, from Lake Erie to Georgian Bay
- Black Walnut (J. nigra), native to southern Ontario zone 5
- Pine Nuts (Pinus koraiensis, P. cembra) Korean Pine, Swiss Stone Pine, largest seeded on the northern hardy edible pine nuts
- Hazelnut Hybrids (Corylus species), blight resistant, hardy in eastern Canada
- Sweet Chestnut Hybrids (Castanea species), Chinese and American hybrids
- American Chestnut (Castanea dentata), some manage to survive blight for many years
- Shagbark Hickory (C. ovata), prized for buttery flavour
- Hican (C. ovata x C. illinoensis), shagbark hickory x northern pecan for zones 5-7
- Northern Pecan (C. illinoensis), Iowa-derived, hardy for southern Ontario
- Ginkgo (G. biloba), roasted nuts considered a delicacy in China
There even some tasty oak acorns from select Quercus, which are, or course, another form of nut. In addition for the truly adventurous, Grimo is a rare source of mulberry (Morus), persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), pawpaw (Asiminia triloba) and quince (Cydonia oblonga) trees. And if you really want to go out on a limb, how about sweet figs? Ficus carica is hardy to -10ºC but needs winter protection outside in zones 6-8, or raise in tubs and bring inside for winter.
Hard copy catalog price is two letter mail Canadian stamps or $1 – but the web site listed above tells all.
