We all love a strawberries and raspberries but do you fancy growing something slightly different? At Beardsworths we grow a wide range of unusual fruit bushes, canes and vines and the following is a selection of the more unusual from our stock.
Actinidia arguta ‘Issai’
Common Name: Chinese Goosberry, Hardy Kiwi Fruit
Flower Colour: Pure white flowers, borne in clusters.
Habit: Large climber/vine
Foliage: Glossy green, deciduous
Fertility: Self fertile
Actinidia arguta ‘Issai’ is a very productive Kiwi variety that is hardy in most of England, Wales and Northern Island. The Scottish winters are liable to be too harsh for it I’m afraid.
Unlike the traditional kiwi fruit, Actinidia arguta ‘Issai’ bears fruits with smooth, edible skin which are sweet and juicy. The fruits can be harvested from August through to October.
For best results grow against a sunny wall or fence with a trellis support.
Aronia prunifolia ‘Viking’
Common Name: Purple Chokeberry
Flower Colour: Pure white, spring blossom
Habit: Upright, dense and bushy
Foliage: Green, aromatic foliage. Deciduous
Fertility: Self fertile
Aronia prunifolia ‘Viking’ produces an abundance of juicy but tart berries, if you like to eat fresh blackcurrants then you’ll probably enjoy chokeberries. The berries make an excellent addition to smoothies as they are regarded as a superfood due to their very high antioxidant content, they also make an unusual addition to deserts, jams and preserves.
Cobnut – Webb’s Prize Cob
Botanical Name: Corylus avellana ‘Webb’s Prize Cob’
Habit: Upright, dense and bushy
Foliage: Very large, dark green leaves
Fertility: Partially self fertile but for best results plant in groups
Webb’s Prize Cobb is a strong growing English cob that produces large, long, pale brown nuts from a young age. Hardy with beautiful bronze leaves and an eventual height of around 3 metres, long yellow catkins in the spring are followed by large clusters of cobnuts in the late summer.
Fig ‘Brown Turkey’
Botanical Name: Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’
Habit: Large, spreading shrub or small tree
Foliage: Very large, dark green, leathery leaves
Fertility: Self fertile
Fig ‘Brown Turkey’ is a hardy fig variety that produces an abundant crop of large, juicy figs with red flesh and a brown skin. It can be grown outdoors against a South to West facing wall or in a conservatory if planted in a large container.