Hardy Exotic Plants
Overview
I’ll present you on the follow sites some mediterranean plants which you can grow with little protection outdoors over years. Also I’ll present you some forgotten german species.
You can’t convey experiences about the hardiness of bedded-out plants to plants in a cultivation pot. In case of severe frost periods the pot freezes completely so the plant will die. Bedded-out plants are compared with potted plants much more protected. The roots of well enrooted individuals reach to depths which also don’t frooze in severe winters. I advice you to bed out sensitive plants in the midddle of May so that the plants have enough time to enroot well.
A critical phase is also the early spring with a increasing sun. The sun heats the plants up so that they start with their budding or increase their metabolism at least. While periods of a froozen soil the plants will dry up. You can protect the plants from a heating by wrapping with fleece. Don’t plant species which are sensitive against late frost in front of a south-exposed wall, because their budding is antedated and the plants are much more vulnerable.
Presented species
- Apricot Tree (Prunus armeniaca). An uncomplicated tree with delicious fruits.
- Chinese Date (Ziziphus jujuba). Sweet, aromatic, approximately 2 centimeter long fruits. Relative hardy.
- Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa). An attractive tree with a high ornamental value. Produces sweet chestnuts. Good hardiness.
- Fig (Ficus carica). A well-known relative hardy plant.
- Pomegranate (Punica granatum). Also a well-known plant, to some degree hardy.
- Common Pawpaw (Asimina triloba). Very hardy member of the Annona family with delicious fruits.
- Japanese Persimmon (Diospyrus kaki). The botanical name „Diospyrus“ has the meaning of „ambrosia“. Relative hardy.
- Kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa). You can grow kiwifruits in Germany too, although they are a little bit difficult.
- Date Plum Tree (Diospyrus lotus). A relative of the persimmon. More hardy. Dark blue, sweet fruits with the size of a cherry.
- Almond (Prunus dulcis). Beautiful flowers in spring. There are some species with a good hardiness.
- Black Mulberry (Morus nigra). In Germany a widely spread tree until the middle of the 20th century, also due to his hardiness. Delicious, juicy fruits.
- Common Medlar (Mespilus germanica). A little tree with fruits which have a sweet-sour flavor after action of frost.
- Service Tree (Sorbus domestica). A relative of Wild Service-Tree, Whitebeam and European mountain ash. German tree of the year 1993.
- Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta). The little sister of the kiwifruit. Extremely hardy. Approximately 2 centimeter long mini-kiwifruits.
