Friends of Greenview maintains a demonstration orchard for education and enjoyment. The orchard highlights native and non-native fruit and nut trees, and berries that thrive in our area, offering ideas for home landscapes. Friends of Greenview adds new varieties every year.
The orchard sits on land farmed by a family that included an orchard on the Wuerth homestead. That farm operated here until the early 1900s.
Native Fruit and Berries
These plants grew wild in this region long before any orchard was planted here. They feed birds, pollinators, and people, and they hold their own without much fuss. Each one is suited to our soil and climate, making them a solid first choice for any native planting.
Asimina triloba
Sambucus canadensis
Aronia melanocarpa
Hardy non-native Fruit and Nut Trees
Beyond the native plantings, the orchard includes fruit and nut trees from other parts of the world. Each variety was chosen for its track record in this area, standing up to our winters and producing reliably year after year. The orchard grows Harogem and Jerseycot apricots, Bartlett pear, Kubanskaya plum, Fantasia nectarine, and Bing sweet cherry, along with several varieties of apple, including Winecrisp, Enterprise, Dolgo Crab, Wickson Crab, Nova Spy, and Arkansas Black.
Corylus avellana
One of our board members, Andy Muth, raises apples in northern Michigan and selected the trees. They were purchased as bare root seedlings from Cummins Nursery in Ithaca New York. Cummins was founded by Jim Cummins, a venerated professor in Cornell University’s agriculture school. They raise hundreds of varieties and Andy selected trees for us by considering cold hardiness, disease resistance, longevity, size, fruit taste and uses for the apples. They were planted in 2024 and 2025 and are primarily semi dwarf or semi standard sized trees. These trees bear fruit earlier, are smaller and thus the fruit is easier to reach and pick, and the crab apple varieties are excellent pollinators for the other trees. Most apples require the pollen from another apple tree to set a crop.
Hands-On Learning
The Edible Garden project was made possible through the efforts of the Friends, Pioneer High School, and other dedicated volunteers. The garden serves as a living classroom, showcasing sustainable, regionally adapted food plants while enhancing the natural beauty of Greenview.
Many classes, from elementary to high school, use the Edible Garden and the surrounding Greenview Park and Pioneer Woods areas for hands-on learning. Students visit these spaces to explore topics like habitats, succession, and biodiversity. Students have also engaged in projects such as soil testing and groundwater/pond comparison studies.
Explore Demonstration Gardens and Native Tree Plantings
The Friends of Greenview created demonstration gardens and a native tree grove to support pollinators, showcase food plants, and highlight native trees like chestnuts and oaks.
