Punica granatum

A garden favourite for its manageable size and the striking contrast between its bright orange-red flowers and lush green foliage. Its beautiful, antioxidant-rich fruits are as delicious as they are ornamental.

Pomegranate is one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees of the Mediterranean and Middle East, with strong cultural significance throughout the region. Bright orange-red trumpet flowers cover the bare branches in late spring through early summer — May to June — followed by the famous leathery fruits ripening from September to November with deep red juicy seeds. The narrow lance-shaped leaves are bright green in summer, turning rich yellow in late autumn before dropping. Hardy to -15°C, exceptionally drought-tolerant, the tree thrives in poor stony alkaline soils and tolerates strong sun, reflected heat, salt and wind; it actually fruits better with some water stress.

Pomegranate reaches 3–5 m as a multi-stemmed shrub or can be trained as a small tree with a single trunk. Use as a productive ornamental specimen in dry borders and informal mixed plantings; as a small specimen tree near terraces and seating where the brilliant flowers and ripening fruits can be appreciated; as an informal flowering hedge along property boundaries; or trained against warm walls in cooler microclimates. The dark sculptural bare winter branches contrast with evergreen verticals of Cupressus and silver-grey Olea europaea. The dwarf 'Nana' grows to only 1 m and excels in large pots and small gardens. Pair the flame-orange flowers with the deep blue of Plumbago auriculata and the silver of Salvia rosmarinus.