Hey guys, welcome to another post of Plant Fanatics. Today we're going to be talking about some of the most cold, hardy fruit bushes on the planet. So stay tuned!
Before we hop right into this list of awesome cold hardy fruit bushes that I believe everybody needs to grow, I want to go ahead and say that this is going to be a three-part series. If you haven’t subscribed to the channel yet, go ahead and do that so you can be notified whenever we put out our new videos. Without further ado, let’s get into this list!
Goji Berry
First on our list is one of my personal favorites to grow and it’s the goji berry. Why do I love the Goji berry so much, you might ask?
Well, it's one of the easiest plants, in my opinion, to take care of and grow, especially as a beginner gardener. It's cold hardy all the way down to -18 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit and it's also one of the most drought-tolerant plants that I've ever come across in my garden.
Benefits of Growing Goji Berries
If you have an area in your garden that you’re really having a problem growing other fruit trees or fruit bushes in because it doesn’t get enough water, this might be one of those plants you want to get your hands on and give a try. Goji berry bushes have a wonderful weeping habit that looks great in any landscape. They have these really pretty purple flowers that the bees are obsessed with, and those purple flowers give way to a wonderful little red berry that is just packed with vitamins and antioxidants.
Growing and Pruning Tips
The plant will get anywhere between five and seven feet tall but responds extremely well to pruning and can be kept at any shape you want it to be kept in. A lot of people actually prefer to tie their goji berry bush up to give it a more upright growth habit.
BLOCKQUOTE: "I don’t do that, however, I just let it go wild and to be honest, it keeps its form pretty well and it grows upright and sprawls out a little bit."
I could see it having practical use as a drought-tolerant hedge and like I said, it responds very well to pruning and is very easy to keep up with. So if you haven’t tried this one already, give it a try.
Currant
Next up on the list, we have an extremely tasty fruit, and it's the currant. While the currant is historically significant to us, it's one of those fruits, much like the pawpaw, that kind of fell out of fashion for a while. Now, it's really making its way back onto the scene. And for good reason because I believe this to be one of the most underutilized fruits, at least here in the US.
Characteristics and Benefits
Something that makes currants really favorable in the garden is the fact that they have so many different colors of flowers available, from white to red, and so many different colors of berries from black all the way to pink. And for that reason, it has an extreme ornamental value in the garden. It's also extremely easy to take care of.
Cold Hardiness and Growth Habit
Its cold hardiness goes all the way down to -31 degrees Fahrenheit, making it a good option for people who live in a much colder climate. The growth habit of the currant is going to be somewhere around five feet tall and four feet wide, so it’s really not a large plant. It doesn’t take up a lot of space in the garden which makes it good for smaller gardens.
The currant is one of the earliest plants to leaf out in the spring, so if you’re looking for a plant that’s going to add some early color, this is a great one. You’re going to be able to harvest the fruit somewhere around July depending on where you live. And it's just an all-around great fruit bush to add to the garden. So if you don’t have it, get it.
Nanking Cherry
Next up is a wonderfully tasting fruit—the Nanking cherry. What makes the Nanking cherry so exciting in my opinion is the fact that in places where cherry tree diseases are very prevalent or maybe you just have a small garden and you don’t have the space for a large tree, the Nanking cherry is a great replacement for a good tasting tart cherry.
Adaptability and Ornamental Value
This bush is cold hardy all the way down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, making it a great option for colder planting zones. And the ornamental value is out of this world.
When you see the showy light pink flowers that take place early in the spring, you are going to be amazed and so excited to show people your garden. Those flowers are going to give way to a wonderful little cherry-like fruit that’s a little bit smaller than the cherry but equally as flavorful. The berry will ripen somewhere in mid to late summer. It can be used in pies, jams, and jellies, so there's no end to the uses of this fruit.
Soil and Climate Adaptation
It's adaptable to a wide variety of soils. It's heat tolerant, cold tolerant, and drought tolerant. There's really not much more you could ask for out of a plant, and it could be used as a hedge if you wanted to do that. So if you haven't got this one, get it.
Honeyberry
Next on the list is one that my wife will be very excited about because we grow lots of them and it’s the honeyberry. The honeyberry reminds me somewhat of a blueberry, though in my opinion, much better tasting than a blueberry. The fruit tends to be more elongated than a blueberry.
Cold Hardiness and Soil Compatibility
These bushes tend to grow anywhere between three and eight feet tall, though I’ve found that they stay on the smaller side of the spectrum.
But that all depends on the variety that you get and there are quite a few varieties of this berry available. It's cold hardy all the way down to -53 degrees Fahrenheit, so there's almost nowhere that this plant can’t do well. It's adapted to a wide variety of soils and it's one of the earliest fruits to ripen in the season, ripening as early as late May and into June.
Unique Characteristics and Pollination
It has interesting little bell-shaped yellow flowers that I find to be very beautiful and also the bees love them. The leaves of the honeyberry bush can be very susceptible to leaf burn in hotter times of the year. It does well under the canopy of a tree or maybe in a shadier area of your garden.
While some varieties of the honeyberry are going to be self-fruitful to some extent, it's going to be best that you get two varieties of honeyberry that flower around the same time so that way they can be cross-pollinated and give you a larger crop. So I do recommend getting at least two of these plants.
With that being said, it's not a very large bush, so it should be easy for you to fit at least two of these in your garden. And if you're anything like my wife and I, you're going to end up with a bunch of different bushes. So go ahead and get this one if you don't have it.
Thank you for checking out the video guys. If you haven't already, check out the plant we sell on the site. And thanks so much for tuning in.