Brighten Up Your Yard With Punica Granatum (pomegranate)

If you have a sunny spot in your yard and are wondering what to plant there, you may want to consider the Punica Granatum (pomegranate). This shrub will not only brighten up your garden and provide some shade. It will also give you a supply of delicious fruit.

On average the plant grows to a height of about 12 to 16 feet, with a rounded shape and leaves that are narrow and long with a glossy finish. However, pomegranates can grow as big as a tree-sized 30 feet. There are also dwarf varieties that grow only to about 3 feet.

The flowers are a bright red that will bring color to your garden. In fact, there are varieties of the shrub that are grown for their flowers only. These flowers are about 2 inches in diameter, with only a few big, rounded petals. If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden, these flowers are a good way to do it.

From fall and into early winter, the flowers develop into rounded fruit with a diameter of about 2.5 to 5 inches. The fruit has a thick, leathery skin that is reddish in color. However, the pomegranate is actually a berry. When you break open the fruit, you will find that it has hundreds of small seeds inside. These seeds consist of a harder core surrounded by a watery pulp, usually a beautiful deep red in color. This pulp is called the aril and is the edible part of the fruit.

Pomegranates are good sources of vitamins, especially vitamin C. You can eat the arils as they are, since they have a sweet taste with a hint of sourness too. They are also good with yogurt or ice cream and are popular in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Indian and Pakistani cuisine, even in meat dishes like lamb kebabs.

The juice is great on its own or as a mixer in cocktails. You can also use it in salad dressings, marinades and sauces. Furthermore, it is the main ingredient in grenadine syrup, the sweet, red syrup that brings the sunrise to a Tequila Sunrise.

Growing these versatile plants in your garden is easy. Pomegranates prefer warm, sunny climates since they originated in the Kurdish parts of Iraq and Iran and have been grown in that part of Asia since ancient times. They are particularly well-suited to Mediterranean climates where summers are warm and dry. Too much water, however, can cause root decay.

Although the plants will grow in partially shady spots, they prefer full sun. So, you can plant them in areas of your garden where few other plants will grow and then use their foliage to provide shade for smaller herbs and flowering plants. They don’t need a lot of watering and can resist drought quite easily. They are also highly resistant to pests and diseases, but the pomegranate butterfly and the leaf-footed bug may be a problem.

If you decide to plant Punica Granatum (pomegranate) in your garden, the best way to do this is from cuttings. You can use seeds for propagation too, but this may affect the quality of the variety. Whichever way you choose, though, you will have a shrub that will be an asset to your garden for years to come.

Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) For Your Garden

The Punica Granatum (pomegranate) is a great choice of shrub to plant in your garden. It will bring color and shade into your garden and will also supply you with tasty fruit for the kitchen. In addition, it is perfect for that sunny spot where nothing else will grow.

An average plant grows to between 12 and 16 feet, although it can grow as high as 30 feet. The shrub is rounded in shape, with long, narrow, glossy leaves. If you prefer a smaller plant, you can plant a dwarf variety that will grow to no more than 3 feet. There are even bonsai shrubs.

Some varieties don’t bear fruit but are grown mainly for their beautiful flowers. Hummingbirds may come into your garden for these bright red flowers. Each flower is more or less 2 inches in diameter, with only a few big, round petals.

The fruit of Punica granatum is a berry, even though it doesn’t look like one. It is big and round with a thick, tough, reddish skin. On the inside there are hundreds of seeds with a deep red, watery and pulpy outer part. This part is edible and is called the aril.

The ruby-like arils are tasty on their own and can be either sweet or somewhat sour on the palate. They are a good source of vitamins, especially of vitamin C. They are often sprinkled over dishes like lamb kebabs or salads in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Pakistani and Indian cooking. If you prefer them with something sweet, you will find that they go particularly well with ice cream or yogurt.

You may know pomegranate juice already in the form of grenadine. This is the sweet, red syrup that is a staple of many a cocktail. However, the pure juice, as a mixer or on its own, is fast gaining in popularity too. You can also use it as an ingredient in sauces, marinades and a salad dressing with a difference.

Pomegranates grow easily, especially in warm and sunny climates. They originally came from Iran and Iraq’s Kurdish parts and have been grown in the surrounding areas of Asia and the Mediterranean for many hundreds of years since. This is why they grow best in dry, warm places. In areas with high rainfall, however, they are more susceptible to root rot.

Because the plants grow best in full sun, they are perfect as providers of shade to other, more fragile plants, like flowers or herbs that will scorch in direct sun. They are hardy and low-maintenance. Even though they resist most pests and diseases, they may be affected by pomegranate butterfly and leaf-footed bug. However, they are highly resistant to drought and you don’t have to water them a lot.

The best way to propagate Punica Granatum (pomegranate) is from cuttings. This will keep the new plant’s characteristics the same as those of the parent plant. However, you can also grow the shrub directly from seeds if you prefer. Either way will leave you with a plant that can only be an asset to the garden.

Punica Granatum (pomegranate) As An Option For The Garden

If you are looking for something to plant in that spot in your yard where it is too sunny for anything to grow, one of your best options may be the Punica Granatum (pomegranate). It is a shrub that will bring some color into your garden. Furthermore, you will have your own supply of fruit.

The leaves are narrow, long and glossy. They help give the plant its round shape. An average plant grows to more or less 12 to 16 feet in height. Some plants grow even bigger, to 30 feet. If your space is limited, however, you can plant a dwarf variety that will grow to about 3 feet only.

One of the benefits of having this plant in your yard is that it is so colorful when in bloom. Some varieties are even grown mainly for their bright red flowers, which have a diameter of about 2 inches. Hummingbirds also love these flowers with their four or five big petals.

The plants bear fruit in fall and early winter. A pomegranate fruit is big and round, between 2.5 and 5 inches in diameter, with a thick, reddish skin. When you cut open the fruit, you will see that it is actually a berry. Inside the hard skin there are small seeds. There can be several hundred of these seeds in one fruit. They have a watery, pulpy outer part known as the aril. The aril is usually deep red and is the part that you can eat.

Pomegranates are rich in vitamin C. The arils have a taste that varies from sweet to slightly sour. They are used a lot in the cuisine of the Middle East, India, Pakistan and the Mediterranean countries. Even though they are good in salads and in hot meat dishes, Western taste-buds may prefer them with ice cream or yogurt or in baked goods. However, they are excellent on their own too.

The juice is becoming an increasingly popular drink, also in cocktails. It can be used as an ingredient in marinades, sauces and salad dressings too. Thickened and processed into a sweet syrup, it is known as grenadine, essential in any bar.

Pomegranates originated in Kurdistan, an area in modern-day Iran and Iraq. For hundreds of years people in this part of Asia have been growing the shrub and using its fruit. Because of its origin, the shrub prefers a warm and dry climate, like the Mediterranean climate of southern California. In a very wet climate the roots are prone to rot.

The best location for one of these plants is a spot that gets full sun. This makes it a great plant to provide shade for your more fragile herbs and flowers. However, if you don’t have a suitably sunny location, the plant will also grow in partial shade. It is easy to grow and is resistant to drought. It is hardy too and there aren’t many diseases and pests that will affect it. However, you will have to be on the lookout for leaf-footed bug and the pomegranate butterfly.

You can grow Punica Granatum (pomegranate) from seeds. However, it is better to grow it from cuttings, because this will keep the genetic integrity of the variety intact. No matter how you choose to propagate the plant, though, it will bring color and joy to your yard.