Kentucky Champion Pawpaw Tree 2012

The Kentucky Champion TM pawpaw tree had it's best year after 4 years of recovery from record ice storms that broke off the south half of the crown and the largest limb.  It started bearing on July 22nd and it had 31 pounds of fruit from 53 pawpaws that averaged 265 grams each (more than 1/2 pound).  Nurseryman Cliff England and I sampled the fruits pictured below.  According to him it was one of the best he's tasted.   He's selling grafted-stock at the England's Nursery website.

384 gram pawpaw fruit shown above, 398 gram shown below.

 

 

The story of the champion tree was featured in the Richmond Register newspaper.

 

This spring I discoverred a stand of crossvine that I found exceptionally beautiful.  Eventually I plan to sell it under the name "Kentucky Beauty":

 

 

So far I have successfully propagated some cuttings from this vine.  The seeds were destroyed by larvae from a parasitic moth.