Fruit Tree Planner

Plan compatible pollination partners, compare varieties, and understand flowering compatibility for apples, pears, plums, blueberries, cherries, and more.

Step 1

Choose a fruit type

Fruit type

Start here. The helper uses different rules for apples, plums, blueberries, kiwis, and other fruit groups.

41 options available.

Type to narrow the list.

Selected fruit

Lingonberry

6 tracked varieties

Lingonberry is self-fertile but consistently sets larger berries that ripen earlier when a cross-pollinator is present. Extension research documents that designated pollinizer varieties (Red Pearl, Sussi) significantly boost the yield of high-producing varieties when interplanted at roughly a 1:5 to 1:10 ratio. Most varieties bloom twice - a spring flush and a summer flush - producing two fruit crops per year. Lingonberry requires acidic soil (pH 4.5 to 5.5), similar to blueberry.

Interplant pollinizer varieties at one plant per 5 to 10 of the main variety. Standard mixed-bed planting works well since lingonberry plants are small.

Step 2

Choose what you want to check

Current goal

Single variety

Choose one variety and Willowbottom will show the best pollination partners.

Step 3

Choose your variety

Main variety

Choose one variety to see the strongest pollination partners.

6 options available.

Optional comparison variety

Optional direct pair check.

5 options available.

USDA zone (optional)

Used to sort matches and flag climate cautions.

Pick a variety first, then scroll to Step 4 for ranked partners, warnings, and the optional pair check.

Step 4

See recommendations

Selected variety

Koralle

Lingonberry

Mid bloom - spring and fall bloom

Can fruit alone, but still benefits from a partnerPartner guidance included

Bloom timing

Bloom group spring-and-fall - spring and fall bloom.

What to do

Lingonberry is self-fertile but fruit set, berry size, and ripening speed all improve significantly with a cross-pollinator nearby. Red Pearl is the most documented and effective pollinizer.

About this variety

Koralle is tart-forward with sharp acidity, with firm, dense flesh and small fruit. Choose it for sauce, jam, syrup, and any use where the classic tart lingonberry flavor is the goal; the highest-yielding of the bunch, but skip it if you want a mild fresh-eating berry - Koralle is quite tart raw and is at its best cooked or sweetened. It usually ripens around early August to late September.

This shows compatible pollinators. Choose based on flavor and harvest timing.

Usually grown in USDA zones 2-8.

Koralle can fruit alone, but it still benefits from a partner. Lingonberry is self-fertile but fruit set, berry size, and ripening speed all improve significantly with a cross-pollinator nearby. Red Pearl is the most documented and effective pollinizer. It flowers in bloom group spring-and-fall, which is spring and fall bloom, which is worth knowing if you add a second tree later. Usually grown in USDA zones 2-8.

No single variety stands out as the obvious partner, but that is not a problem here: Erntedank, Linnaea, Sussi, Ida, and Red Pearl all bloom close enough to work. Pick whichever your nursery actually carries. Interplant pollinizer varieties at one plant per 5 to 10 of the main variety. Standard mixed-bed planting works well since lingonberry plants are small.

One thing to keep in mind. Lingonberry yields meaningfully more and larger fruit with a designated pollinizer nearby. Interplant Red Pearl at roughly 1 plant per 5 to 10 plants of other varieties for the best results.

To put that into practice: at a minimum, one variety will fruit, but yields and berry size are noticeably lower than with a companion. Better still, a main fruiting variety (Koralle or Linnaea) with Red Pearl as a pollinizer at a 1:5 to 1:10 ratio. A solo lingonberry bed still produces fruit. Adding Red Pearl is the most cost-effective improvement for yield and berry size.

Good backups

These are still useful choices when the very best option is not available at your nursery.

Erntedank

Same fruit type

Mid bloom - spring and fall bloom

Good backup

Blooms in the same window. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownSame bloom window

Why choose this?

Erntedank is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with medium-firm flesh and small fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for consistent two-crop production, German and Scandinavian-inspired gardens, and commercial-style home plantings where reliable volume matters, but skip it if you want the most intensely flavored single berry - Erntedank is reliable and consistent rather than exceptional. It usually ripens around early August to late September, later than most of the others shown.

Linnaea

Same fruit type

Mid bloom - spring and fall bloom

Good backup

Blooms in the same window. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownSame bloom window

Why choose this?

Linnaea is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with medium-firm flesh and small fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for cold northern gardens (zones 2 to 6) and high-yield sauce and jam production, but skip it if you want warm climates above zone 6 - Linnaea is bred for cold performance and struggles in warmer zones. It usually ripens around early August to late September, later than most of the others shown.

Sussi

Same fruit type

Mid bloom - spring and fall bloom

Good backup

Blooms in the same window. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownSame bloom window

Why choose this?

Sussi is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with medium-firm flesh and small fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for secondary pollinizer alongside Red Pearl and spreading groundcover in acidic soil beds, but skip it if you want productive yields quickly - Sussi is notably slow to establish and takes several years to reach full output. It usually ripens around early August to late September, later than most of the others shown.

Ida

Same fruit type

Mid bloom - spring and fall bloom

Good backup

Blooms close enough to overlap in many home plantings. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownNearby bloom window

Why choose this?

Ida is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with medium-firm flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating where lingonberry size matters, mixed beds with Red Pearl, and the most impressive-looking lingonberry fruit, but skip it if you want very cold zones below 3 - Ida is rated to zone 3 and not tested as far north as Linnaea. It usually ripens around early August to late September, later than most of the others shown.

Red Pearl

Same fruit type

Early bloom - spring and fall bloom

Good backup

Blooms close enough to overlap in many home plantings. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownNearby bloom window

Why choose this?

Red Pearl is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with medium-firm flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for serving as the primary pollinizer for Koralle, Linnaea, and other varieties at a 1:5 to 1:10 planting ratio; also edible with better mild flavor than Koralle, but skip it if you want maximum yield from their pollinizer - Red Pearl is a lower-yielding variety chosen for pollination coverage, not maximum berry production. It usually ripens around mid to late July, earlier than most of the others shown.

Minimum planting guidance

Use the minimum, ideal, and fallback plan to size the planting to your space and goals.

Minimum setup

One variety will fruit, but yields and berry size are noticeably lower than with a companion.

Ideal setup

A main fruiting variety (Koralle or Linnaea) with Red Pearl as a pollinizer at a 1:5 to 1:10 ratio.

Fallback plan

A solo lingonberry bed still produces fruit. Adding Red Pearl is the most cost-effective improvement for yield and berry size.

Important notes

These notes keep the key cautions and practical details easy to scan.

Warnings

Lingonberry yields meaningfully more and larger fruit with a designated pollinizer nearby. Interplant Red Pearl at roughly 1 plant per 5 to 10 plants of other varieties for the best results.

Helpful notes

Interplant pollinizer varieties at one plant per 5 to 10 of the main variety. Standard mixed-bed planting works well since lingonberry plants are small.

Want to understand why these pairings work? Read the full pollination guide →

New to fruit trees? Start with fruit tree husbandry →

Every fruit and variety we cover

444 varieties across 41 fruit types. Open a crop to see the varieties, or pick one to jump straight to its pollination partners.

Apple25 varieties

Peach17 varieties

Pear22 varieties

Cherry25 varieties

Plum21 varieties

Blueberry31 varieties

Strawberry13 varieties

Raspberry16 varieties

Blackberry13 varieties

Grape14 varieties

Fig8 varieties

Apricot10 varieties

Nectarine8 varieties

Persimmon9 varieties

Pomegranate2 varieties

Mulberry8 varieties

Elderberry10 varieties

Quince7 varieties

Serviceberry8 varieties

Pawpaw7 varieties

Currant9 varieties

Gooseberry7 varieties

Jujube9 varieties

Aronia6 varieties

Honeyberry29 varieties

Hazelnut21 varieties

Cranberry7 varieties

Lingonberry6 varieties

Goji Berry5 varieties

Hardy Kiwi6 varieties

Kiwi5 varieties

Passion Fruit / Maypop4 varieties

Mango14 varieties

Avocado7 varieties

Mandarin5 varieties

Tangerine5 varieties

Kumquat5 varieties

Calamondin4 varieties

Citron4 varieties

Cherimoya6 varieties

Date Palm6 varieties