Most of us don't think about pollen, only when we have lilies in a vase and the pollen hanging on the anthers stains anything it touches. We all know that pollination is required in plants to make fruit, but we know little about how pollen actually works.

There is a lot of confusion around which fruit trees need a partner in order to cross-pollinate and produce fruit. Some trees are self fertile such as citrus, others are partially self fertile like some avocados and almonds, then there are those such as apples and plums that need a different variety that flower at the same time in order to develop fruit.