Deciduous (bare in winter) with flowers appearing in early spring, before the leaves. Peach makes a lovely small tree in south-central Texas, and as one of the first trees to bloom, it is well-pollinated by honeybees.
Fruit production requires at least 500 chill hours (below 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit) in winter. Late-season frosts (below 25 degrees F) are rare but they can wipe out the crop. In optimal years, the fruit ripens between May and midsummer.
If you’re growing peach as an ornamental (for flowers) no pruning is necessary. But if you’re cultivating fruit, up to 40% of the branches can be removed every year. Prune before the end of February (while the branches are still bare) and remove suckers, shoots pointed toward the interior, and shoots above 7 feet high (where the fruit can’t be reached.)