Characteristics
| Hardiness zone | 6b |
|---|---|
| Flower color | tomato |
| Foliage type | evergreen |
| Plant form | mounded |
| Mature height | 4 feet |
| Spread | 3 feet |
| Light requirements | full sun |
| Moisture requirements | dry to moist |
| Plant origin | import |
Dwarf Pomegranate
Botanical name: Punica granatum ‘Nana’
This lovely dwarf variety matures into a small dense habit with individual orange-red flowers that hang from the ends of branches in late summer, followed by small red fruit; drought tolerant once established, this selection is great for sunny borders.
Dwarf Pomegranate has nodding tomato-orange tubular flowers at the ends of the branches in late summer, which are interesting on close inspection. It has dark green foliage. The glossy oval leaves remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy red pomes with orange overtones, which are carried in abundance in early fall.
This is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Aside from its primary use as an edible, Dwarf Pomegranate is sutiable for the following landscape applications;
Accent, Mass Planting, General Garden Use, Container Planting
Edible Qualities
Dwarf Pomegranate is a small shrub that is typically grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces red oval seeds (technically 'pomes') with orange overtones and dark red flesh which are harvested in early fall. The seeds have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.
The seeds are most often used in the following ways:
Fresh Eating, Preserves, Juice-Making
Planting and Growing
Dwarf Pomegranate will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.
This shrub is quite ornamental as well as edible, and is as much at home in a landscape or flower garden as it is in a designated edibles garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Dwarf Pomegranate is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
