Pomegranate

I have been looking all over for another pomegranate for the front yard. The most common version is called "Wonderful". So how do you top that? First I was looking for any variety. Pomegranate juice is considered very "in"for its heart healthy antioxidants. Because of this, there are more people planting these trees. This year I looked for a bareroot pomegranate. The one I have in the front yard with the fabled lemon tree (Cammie) produced 12 mature fruit. We must be in the right plant zone. I think that is why Reza feels like he has come home when he is in the valley especally in the summer. Pomegranates are native to the middle East.

At the Paisley nursery they did not have a pomegranate for sale. Even though they had two varieties of figs, that enticed Linzi. Home Depot, Costco, Lowes and OSH did not have pomegranates in bareroot. So I was at Orchard Supply looking for some other home necessity when lo and behold there was a pomegranate in the potted section. Usually after the bareroot season, (We are on the edge of that now) the nurseries rip open the bags of left over trees and plant them into pots. This allows them to hold stock for much longer. It is usually much more expensive as well. This plant was a "Sweet" a much sweeter cultivator pomegranate or so the label says. Its heritage is the "wonderful". It looked pretty pathetic as does my currently planted pomegranate. Not a sign of life is evident in either tree. It will kick in after all of the other stone fruit have bloomed and they will produce beautiful waxy red flowers on a bright green leaf background.

I am severely pruning both since I do not want them to get any taller than the top of the outdoor patio wall (About 4 feet). They are really thorny plants. It is best to prune them with gloves. There soil requirements are few. Just need heat and more heat and some water every once in awhile. I am looking forward to a couple of years from now to compare the fruit from " Wonderful" to "Sweet" They are usually ripe at the end of September going into October. They will hold on the tree provided we don't get any early rains, until early November. They are a graceful component of a Thanksgiving cornucopia.

Love
Pat