• Washington State produces six varieties of cherriescerises image by MONIQUE POUZET from Fotolia.com
  
  While Washington is most commonly associated with apples, there are many other varieties of fruit trees which flourish in the climate. Pears, cherries, apricots, peaches and plums are also produced in both large commercial orchards and residential yards.
  
  

Pear Trees

• The Pacific Northwest produces most of the commercially grown pears in the U.S., with Washington state producing the most. The Wenatchee Valley Orchards have been producing every variety of U.S. pears since the 1850s. The Yakima Valley region is another large production area, with many thousands of acres.
  
  Of the more than three thousand pear varieties in the world, less than twenty produce pears for commercial distribution. Pears were introduced in the in the Eastern U.S.by the colonists who came from Europe. Many of the trees were destroyed by bacterial diseases before being brought west by the settlers. Most pear varieties do not need as much attention as apples, and are very tolerant of the moist conditions in Washington. It can take from four to eight years before the trees produce fruit.
  
  

Cherry Trees

• Six varieties of cherries are commercially produced in Washington. When you say cherries, the Bing cherry is the variety that comes to mind. The Bing is the leading commercial sweet cherry in North America, and the standard to which other varieties are compared. The Chelan is another popular variety. This leading early-ripening cherry ripens two weeks before the Bing.
  
  

Peach Trees

• Peaches are Chinese in origin, although the early Romans wrote that they imported peaches from Persia. Evidence of peaches can be found in early artwork going back to the 10th century B.C. Peach trees were introduced to North America by Columbus. While peaches are usually associated with the southeast, particularly Georgia, "The Peach State," they thrive in Washington State.