Recommendations for fruit tree nursery for higher elevation and zone 3-4

Turns out I'm actually zone 4 (or maybe even 3) even though it appears on the hardiness map I am Zone 5.  I'm at the foothills of the rocky mountains and live at 7500.  We get some strong wind up here and Colorado can have crazy temp changes.  

My favorite nursery is only 15 minutes away but is 2500 lower in elevation.  All the trees I've got from there have died!  I posted a thread a few days ago regarding rootstock because I was reading about Sepp Holzer.  He mentions using Mountain Ash?-- but does that mean he grafts fruit trees to it?!

Does anyone know of a higher-elevation and/or colder zone that sells fruit trees for such conditions?  It would make more sense to buy them online instead of having trees die that come from Denver.

yep, at least pear, but probably a couple other kinds of fruit trees can be grafted on mountain ash. hardy shrubs like aronia or cotoneaster can work too as rootstock.

it may take some extra time, but in your shoes i’d looking for trees (maybe around parking lots, etc?) that are surviving at your elevation and germinate their seeds for your rootstocks.

I'm slowing learning from posts like these.  I can see where you're going but how would I know they are compatible for the fruit tree scions I would want to grow, or do you mean find matching fruit trees growing?  Unfortunately that will be hard, I rarely see them but maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention!

Wouldn't a nice parking lot find require a clone to ensure it's the same cold hardy variety?  Then I wouldn't know if it's a dwarf variety, right?  If I need to keep my eye out for other trees that could suitably host a scion then I can see how this requires significant tree knowledge!

I figured dwarf varieties may be safer for high winds and also fruit sooner in case it ultimately does die.  If I have many I could simply replace them as they die.  More importantly I have an amazing view on the side of a steep slope so I wouldn't want them to block it

Fedco may be worth checking out. Most of their stuff is hardy to zone 4 and some of it to zone 3.

I've heard that Antonovka rootstock for apples is supposedly very hardy, to zone 3.

You probably already know this, but making sure the variety you graft onto the rootstock is hardy also, will help reduce the chance that the tree (grown form the variety you graft) won't just die back down to the cold hardy rootstock.

Good luck with your fruit trees!

Thanks, all helpful info, and no, I wasn’t sure about non-hardy being not hardy when grafted to hardy (tongue twister).

Someone earlier suggested gathering seeds from trees I may find up at altitude, but could you confirm whether that would work or not?  I thought seeds wouldn’t guarantee the desired genetics, if so is my only option pulling a scion from it?  I could air root a branch but would that simply create a bush if I planted it as a seedling?

Thanks so much!

that’s me, someone earlier!

dwarfing rootstock, aside from certain disease resistance characteristics they might have, constrain the growth of whatever’s grafted on to them by basically being kind of weak. they’re more likely to need staking (especially in areas of high wind!), their potential lifespan is vastly shorter than a ‘regular sized’ or seed-grown tree. i don’t think that’s actually what you need there. i think your situation calls for deep strong roots of the sort that something seed-grown (especially if planted in situ so you know there’s never been damage to the tap root) can provide. if your wind and cold are really that bad, the tree may end up somewhat dwarfed, but it wouldn’t be because the rootstock is holding it back. but of course it’s up to you.

i mentioned parking lots because it’s not too uncommon to find things like mountain ash or bradford pear planted in parking lot islands in some places - you are right though, that things like that will require your scion to be at least somewhat related. i don’t know that you’ve mentioned what kind of fruit trees in particular you want to grow, just that sepp uses mountain ash (which to be clear is not a true ash and is more closely related to apples and pears, thus its use as a rootstock for some trees in the Rosaceae family)…can you be more specific? is it just any fruit that can be coaxed to produce where you are or do you have some favorites in mind? knowing that might help you get the info you want.

are you new enough to this that you’d just feel better buying from a nursery? (no judgement intended, but i can stop suggesting more ‘advanced’ ideas if you’re not comfortable with them).

Thanks you again so much for your post.  This is all very helpful.

I'm definitely not ashamed to admit I am completely new to even the thought of this, so yes, I would MUCH prefer to purchase trees from the nursery.  Ultimately I can't afford to be planting the two dozen trees I would like, so would creating clones using an air layering technique of 5 varieties of fruits I would like be an option?  I had a question earlier if air layering would result in a bush.  You already suggested using seeds but I would have to wait for my trees to fruit before even getting a seed to start.

The problem with my nearby nurseries is that I live in the foothills along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.  The foothills are 2500' higher in elevation than the plains below it, and it seems those lower elevation (still a mile high) locations are where the nurseries are (for obvious reasons).

This post was to get recommendations for higher elevation nurseries if anyone know about any.  But I'll be calling around as well.  There's some good nurseries and they do stock Zone 3-4 trees, but I thought one specifically at higher elevations may be my best option.

I replied on another post, but thought I'd add it here for other people. Tooley's Trees in Truchas New Mexico is at over 8000 ' elevation and is a great resource for trees.  And for planting and  growing them at altitude.

Sandy

Thanks!