Vivid red funnels of wrinkled petals, an inch or so across, open all summer above shiny leaves that shift from bronze to tender green. The pomegranate (Punica granatum) is grown as much for that bloom as for its vitamin-rich fruit; give it a warm, sunny, wind-sheltered spot and free-draining soil, and round red-brown fruit may follow in autumn.
| Latin name | Punica granatum |
|---|---|
| Family | Punicaceae, Lythraceae |
| Type | Bushy tree |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Height | Around 13 ft (around 4 m) |
| Exposure | Sunny, sheltered from wind |
| Soil | Prefers limestone, good drainage, cool depth-wise |
| Hardiness | Not too cold (down to 32°F/0°C) |
| Bloom | Summer |
| Harvest | Fall |
Growing a pomegranate bush? It’s child’s play! This bush doesn’t fuss about soil types. As long as your soil drains well and remains cool at depth, it’s a happy camper. A little lime in your soil? Even better for your pomegranate! For location, choose a warm, sunny spot sheltered from wind – ideally, a south-facing wall nearby.
Spring is the top season to plant your pomegranate bush, especially if your winters get pretty cold.
Found the perfect spot for your bush? Here’s your next steps:
Want to plant a potted pomegranate? Here’s how:
Smart tip:
Keep soil moist by adding a thick layer of natural mulch at pomegranate’s base. But steer clear of pine bark. It can make your soil too acidic.
Once established, Punica granatum asks little of you.
Watch out for watering during dry spells, especially for potted plants.
For potted varieties, plan for repotting every 4 to 5 years. In the meantime, add a bit of potting soil to the base of your pomegranate (topdressing).
In its early growth years, focus your pomegranate pruning on achieving a balanced structure, selecting 4 to 5 main branches. Fruits show up roughly 5 years after planting. They form on 2 to 3-year-old branches, located on the periphery of the tree. From this point, prune cautiously after leaf fall. Generally, pruning should aim to:
Want more pomegranate plants? Use cuttings of semi-woody stems at summer’s end. Protect your cuttings from winter cold and replant them the following spring.
Despite low frost-hardiness, a pomegranate is a vigorous shrub. It stands strong against diseases, pests, or parasites.
From early autumn to fall, weather permitting, it’s time for the pomegranate harvest.
You’ll want to pick these goodies just before peak maturity, as soon as they show off a deep orange-red color.
Wait too long and—pop! They split open.
Keeping is also easy: you’ve got 2 weeks at room temp, or stash them in the fridge for months.
Everything the pomegranate asks of you falls into four short windows. Here is what happens when, and what to do about it.
| Time of year | What to do | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Plant out | The best season for planting, above all where winters are cold |
| Summer | Enjoy the bloom | Vivid red funnels, 1 to 1.5 in (3 to 4 cm) across |
| End of summer | Take cuttings | Semi-woody stems, kept frost-free until the following spring |
| early autumn to fall | Harvest | Pick at deep orange-red, before the fruit splits |
| After leaf fall | Prune | Work lightly: suckers, dead and crossing branches |
Once established, the plant asks very little of you between these dates.
Pomegranates split broadly into fruiting selections, which need real summer heat to ripen, and ornamental forms grown for the bloom alone and happy in a pot. The table below sets out the ones most often offered in garden centres and mail-order catalogues.
| Variety | Grown mainly for | Fruit | Flowers | Size band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet | Fruit | Pink-skinned, mild and sweet | Orange-red, single | Medium to large shrub |
| Utah Sweet | Fruit | Pink, sweet, soft seeds | Orange-red, single | Medium shrub |
| Wonderful | Fruit | Large, deep red, tart-sweet arils | Orange-red, single | Large shrub to small tree |
| Nana | Flowers and pots | Small, decorative, edible | Orange-red, freely borne | Dwarf |
| Flore Pleno | Flowers | Little or none | Double, scarlet | Medium to large shrub |
| Legrellei | Flowers | Rarely set | Double, red streaked cream | Medium to large shrub |
| Mollar de Elche | Fruit | Sweet, soft-seeded, pale arils | Orange-red, single | Medium to large shrub |
| Parfianka | Fruit | Red, sweet-tart, soft seeds | Orange-red, single | Medium to large shrub |
| Eversweet | Fruit | Very sweet, non-staining juice | Orange-red, single | Medium shrub |
| Granada | Early fruit | Crimson, milder than Wonderful | Deep red, single | Large shrub |
| Salavatski | Fruit in colder gardens | Large, red, tart-sweet | Orange-red, single | Large shrub |
When your Punica granatum reaches up to 13 feet (4 meters) in width, somewhat between a small tree or a large shrub.
Its deciduous, shiny, oblong leaves change colors, switching from a lovely bronze in spring to a tender green later. Then come flowers, the pomegranate’s crowning glory. Boasting a vivid red, they pop out in summer, about 1 to 1.5 inches (3 to 4 cm) in diameter, they’re funnels of wrinkled petals.
Fall may bring about spherical fruit with a red-brown hue, reaching a size of around 4 inches (about 10 cm) in diameter. They’re healthy with lots of vitamins. Realistically, you’ll only see these under certain conditions, like in a warm coastal climate. Anywhere else, and it’s a struggle for them to ripen.
