• ApplesKathy Collins/Stockbyte/Getty Images
  
  Fruit trees provide color as well as nourishment to Indianapolis landscapes. The capital city of Indiana, Indianapolis hosts a wide variety of fruit trees because it sits on the border of USDA hardiness zones 5a and 5b. Some of those fruit trees provide commerce for the city at area orchards.
  
  

Apple Trees

• An apple tree should always be paired with another variety with an overlapping blooming date---so they can cross-pollinate and bear the best fruit. The Indianapolis varieties of apple trees that do the best together are those resistant to apple scab, a fungal disease that leaves cracks in fruit and olive green scabs on leaves and fruit. According to Purdue University, the best scab-repellent apples for regional home landscapers are the Enterprise, Goldrush, Jonafree, Prima and Priscilla. Jonafree, Prima and Priscilla apples start ripening from late August to mid-September, while Enterprise and Goldrush start between early October and mid-November. All of these varieties produce large, sometimes oblate apples that average 2 to 2.75 inches in diameter. Standard heights for mature trees of these varieties can range from 26 to 30 feet, but dwarf and semi-dwarf versions, from 10 to 12 feet and 18 to 22 feet respectively, could be more manageable for a home landscape.
  
  

Plum Trees

• Like apple trees, many plum tree varieties within the European, American and Japanese groups require cross-pollination. One exception is the Damson, a European type and popular commercial plum ripening in Indianapolis throughout the month of August. Its 0.63-to-0.75-inch blue-black fruit make excellent jams and jellies. The trees need full sun and grow and spread from 10 to 20 feet. Another popular Indianapolis plum tree is the American plum, which can be as tall and wide as the Damson, but produces plums that range from red to yellow in color. American and Damson plum trees can grow together.
  
  

Cherry Trees

• Tart, not sweet, cherry cultivars do best in Indianapolis, where winter temperatures do not dip as low as in rural parts of Indiana. Unlike the sweet varieties, tart cherry trees need no pollinator and can stand on their own in any landscape. The best tart cultivar for the city is also the classic cherry pie variety, the Montmorency. Ripening in early July, the Montmorency produces firm medium-red fruit as large as an inch in diameter. Growing from 8 to 15 feet tall, this tree provides good shade, too, with a rounded crown that spreads 10 to 20 feet. Dwarf cherry trees are also available.