I've mentioned before that I'm a huge fan for the genus Prunus so you won't be flabbergasted when I tell you that I like this little ornamental dwarf peach called 'Bonfire' (Prunus persica). I bought it last year for my wife who wanted a peach tree. Unfortunately at the time I didn't realize that it was merely ornamental and not necessarily a fruiting peach tree. It had fruit on it when I purchased it but they never amounted to anything. Despite the my failure in finding a fruit tree with edible fruit I really like this little prunus. It's a dwarf and doesn't get much larger than 8 feet tall (the height differs according to what you read). The emerging purple foliage blends beautifully with the pink colored flowers.
'Bonfire' is just one of several members of the Prunus genus that really like. I may have four Yoshino cherry trees (I say may since one small one has yet to bloom and I have doubts about it's origins), a couple of Prunus cerasifera, I mentioned the Okame cherry the other day, and I even have what I think is a peach tree that emerged from one of my planting beds. Yes, I experiment so much I can't remember everything I do! I suspect I popped that little peach pit in a bed just to see what, if anything, would happen. I love it when something cool, like a free plant, happens!
The flowers on this peach are spectacular. Our tree is small now but can you imagine how a 'Bonfire' would look partnered with the white flowers of my Yoshino cherry trees? I'll have to show you the pictures of my Yoshino cherries soon, they are beautiful this year!
The dark foliage is very cool too. Perhaps underplanting it with a silvery color plant like 'Powis Castle' artemisia would make for a nice combination.
Now I just have to find an awesome peach tree cultivar that needs no spraying, has no disease problems, the deer won't eat, and produces copious amounts of delectable fruit. I'm not asking for too much am I?