Prunus persica var. nucipersica 'Snow Queen' (Nectarine)

Snow Queen (white nectarine) is white-fleshed freestone nectarine with low-acid honey-sweet flavor, the standard for white-flesh aficionados. Prunus persica is the cultivated peach / nectarine, originating in Northwest China and grown for centuries for its fruit. It is not native to North America.

Bloom and harvest in the PNW. Bloom is mid-spring (April), with fruit ripening mid to late July in Oregon and Washington orchards. Site in full sun with good air drainage to reduce disease pressure.

Pollination. Snow Queen (white nectarine) is self-fertile: a single tree will set fruit. Compatible partners (self-fertile) increase yields.

PNW disease and care. Snow Queen is NOT curl-resistant. West of the Cascades plan on copper sprays. Requires roughly 250 to 300 chill hours, so it works in warmer microclimates. The species-level disease pressures to plan for are peach leaf curl (Taphrina deformans) is the make-or-break disease west of the Cascades. Choose curl-resistant cultivars (Frost, Salish Summer/Q-1-8, Avalon Pride, Oregon Curl Free, Charlotte, Indian Free) or commit to a copper spray program at bud swell and again at fall leaf drop. Brown rot, bacterial spot, and coryneum blight are secondary pressures.

Native fruiting alternatives: If you also want to support PNW birds and pollinators with regionally native fruit, consider Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon serviceberry), Vaccinium ovatum (evergreen huckleberry), Malus fusca (Pacific crabapple), or Prunus virginiana (chokecherry). These provide bird food, pollinator support, and Indigenous food heritage in your landscape alongside your orchard fruit.