Planting fruit trees in Texas can seem like a great idea, but not every tree lives up to expectations. Some struggle with the heat, pests, or low yields, leaving homeowners frustrated.
Knowing which trees might cause regret can save you time and effort. These 12 fruit trees often leave Texas gardeners wishing they hadn’t planted them.
1. Bradford Pear
Weak branch structure makes these trees snap during Texas storms, creating dangerous falling limbs. The pretty white blooms produce an awful fishy smell that’ll have neighbors complaining.
While technically classified as ornamental, their small fruits create messy driveways throughout the Lone Star State. Plus, they’ve become invasive in many Texas regions, sprouting up everywhere you don’t want them.
2. Mulberry
Ever tried removing purple stains from concrete? That’s your future with mulberry trees dropping their juicy bombs all over Texas patios and sidewalks. Birds devour the fruits and spread purple droppings everywhere.
The massive root systems crack foundations and invade plumbing in Texas homes. Male trees release pollen that triggers severe allergic reactions for many Texans during spring months.
3. Fig
Figs might seem perfect for Texas, but their aggressive roots infiltrate drainage systems and crack foundations without mercy. The sticky sap causes skin irritation for many gardeners during pruning season.
Fallen fruits attract swarms of flies, wasps, and other pests to your Texas yard. During harsh Lone Star winters, these trees often suffer dieback, requiring extensive pruning and maintenance every spring.
4. Peach
Despite being a Texas favorite, peach trees demand constant attention to combat the numerous diseases and pests that plague them in this climate. Brown rot, leaf curl, and borers attack relentlessly throughout the growing season.
Most Texas homeowners get frustrated by the short lifespan—typically just 8-15 years. The maintenance schedule is brutal, requiring specific spraying, pruning, and thinning at exact times throughout the year.
5. Avocado
The dream of backyard guacamole quickly fades when Texas freezes damage or kill these tropical trees. Most varieties simply can’t handle North Texas winter temperatures without extensive protection.
Avocados grow painfully slowly in the Lone Star State, often taking 5-13 years before producing any fruit. When they finally do bear fruit, the quality typically disappoints compared to store-bought varieties from more suitable climates.
6. Lemon
Those glossy catalog pictures don’t show the reality of growing lemons in Texas: constant frost protection, yellowing leaves from alkaline soil, and susceptibility to devastating citrus diseases. Thorns make pruning and harvesting a painful experience.
Texas heat often causes fruit drop before maturity, resulting in wasted effort. Most varieties struggle with the state’s occasional freezes, requiring emergency measures or risking complete tree loss during cold snaps.
7. Persimmon
The astringent varieties common in Texas nurseries produce fruits so bitter they’re inedible until fully soft—by which time they’re often damaged by birds or insects. Dropped fruits create a slippery, messy hazard on walkways.
These trees grow surprisingly large for Texas yards, often reaching heights that make fruit harvesting dangerous without special equipment. Their extensive root systems compete aggressively with nearby plants for water during the state’s frequent drought periods.
8. Cherry
Most cherry varieties need more winter chill hours than Texas can provide, resulting in poor flowering and minimal fruit production. The few that do grow often develop bacterial canker and leaf spot diseases in the humid climate.
Texas birds will likely eat your entire cherry harvest before you get a single fruit. These trees typically have a short lifespan in the Lone Star State, with many declining after just 7-10 years despite your best care efforts.
9. Pomegranate
While pomegranates can grow in Texas, the reality often disappoints homeowners when fruits split open during summer rainstorms. The thorny branches make maintenance hazardous, especially in smaller yards where pathways are close to the trees.
Fruit quality varies dramatically from year to year in the inconsistent Texas climate. The trees become leggy and unattractive without regular pruning, requiring more maintenance than most Lone Star gardeners anticipate.
10. Apple
Fire blight devastates apple trees throughout Texas, turning branches black as if scorched by flames. Most varieties require more winter chill than central and southern parts of the state provide, resulting in inconsistent fruiting.
Cedar-apple rust becomes a serious problem in many Texas regions where cedar trees grow nearby. The extensive spraying regimen needed to produce decent fruit in the Lone Star State surprises and overwhelms most homeowners.
11. Pear
Asian pear varieties crack and split in the intense Texas summer heat, while European types often fail to produce quality fruit due to insufficient winter chill. Fire blight disease spreads rapidly through pear trees in humid Texas conditions.
Fruit production proves disappointingly inconsistent year to year in the Lone Star State’s unpredictable climate. The trees grow surprisingly large, eventually dominating smaller Texas yards and creating excessive shade that kills underlying lawn.
12. Apricot
Early-blooming apricots get zapped by late Texas frosts year after year, resulting in no fruit despite beautiful spring flowers. When fruits do develop, they’re highly susceptible to brown rot in the humid Texas climate.
These trees require perfect drainage, struggling in many heavy clay soil areas common throughout the Lone Star State. Bacterial diseases spread quickly during rainy seasons, causing gummosis—an unsightly oozing of sap that weakens and eventually kills branches.