Terese Hummel

I'm fairly new here on Permies, so hoping that some might be able to direct me.  I'm zone 5a/b and I also plant in our son's yard in zone 6a - all in southeast WI.  

I ordered and planted an Oracle almond in 5a this past spring and it did well during the year - hoping that it survives this first winter well!  I have just ordered a Hall's Hardy (before I checked this thread!) along with a couple of other things for spring delivery, either as a hedge against winter kill here (I planted two dozen new mostly fruit trees and shrubs last year in our 1/4 acre small town lot), or to plant in our son's 1/6 acre urban lot.  

Do other Permies have experience with Oracle vs Hall's?  Taste, hardiness, yield, taming the size of the tree via pruning, etc.?

Besides echinacea, I am always delighted to watch them light on and pick at the seed heads of my mint plants.  Catmint, specifically, appears to have sufficiently strong stems for their landing and big, bushy seed heads - the bees LOVE the blossoms first, and then the finches take over when the seeds set!  And of course, the plants deter some pests and then make great tea for humans, too - win, win, win, win.