Edible berries, lush leaves, and arching stems make evergreen huckleberries one of the most decorative native shrubs available on the West Coast. They’re favorites of local birds, mammals, bugs, and gardeners! Grow one today and your neighbors will ask, “What’s that gorgeous plant in your yard?” Close relatives of blueberries, lingonberries, and cranberries, huckleberries are forest-dwelling shrubs that produce bushels of edible fruit. They love shady sites underneath tree canopies. You’ll notice them thriving in western forests beneath Douglas fir trees, coast redwoods, hemlocks, pines, and firs. Unlike blueberry plants, this native shrub has specific requirements that limit its range. Extreme frost, low humidity, and sunny exposures may cause issues for the growing shrub. Grant it what it needs so it rewards you with healthy evergreen growth throughout the warm seasons. Whether you’re planting an edible garden or one for pollinators, huckleberries work well in many landscape styles. Use them in borders, mass plantings, or tree wells beneath large specimens. I planted mine next to lingonberry, blueberry, and raspberry shrubs; they all happily grow together! What Is It? Evergreen huckleberry is a member of the Vaccinium genus alongside other fruiting shrubs. There are deciduous huckleberries also native to the U.S., though they thrive in colder regions throughout the country. The evergreen type originates where temperatures are mild year-round with few winter frosts. Native Area Growing wild from California through northern British Columbia, the shrub has a wide range of habitats it prefers. You’ll see it happily growing in mixed coniferous forests in Oregon, redwood forests in California, and at high elevations where temperatures are cool and moisture is abundant. A good way to find this shrub in the wild is to look for other plants that grow alongside it. Native species like salal, Pacific rhododendron, and Western sword fern are abundant in the same environments as this huckleberry. They all prefer cool, moist winters, dry summers, and partial shade or full sun. Characteristics This shrub differs in appearance depending on the environmental conditions. Sites with full sun and dry summers will lead to short, squat, and bushy specimens. Shadier sites beneath trees and at woodland’s edges form a more graceful stature; they grow arching stems that reach up and over. All plants display reddish new growth in late winter and early spring. The triangular leaves turn bright green over time, creating a lovely contrast with red-green shifting foliage. Flowers appear shortly after new growth resumes. They’re white and urn-shaped like the blossoms from related plants in the Ericaceae family like blueberries, lingonberries, and manzanitas. In shady sites, an evergreen huckleberry may reach up to eight feet tall! It’ll stay short and squat in sunny, dry sites, remaining under five feet tall. The sunlight influences its overall appearance. Planting This blueberry relative thrives in a wide range of environments, from dry California forests to wet ones in the Pacific Northwest. Unlike most native shrubs, growing this one from seeds is an easy task! The seeds don’t require cold stratification, and they readily germinate shortly after the berries fall off the plant.

If you dream of growing a pomegranate but live in a cold climate, you can still grow these juicy fruits at home. All you have to do is plant them in a container! Join farmer Briana Yablonski to learn how to successfully grow pomegranates in pots. Have you ever thought of growing a pomegranate at home? While these unique, aril-filled fruits may seem impossible to produce at home, they’re actually quite easy to grow. However, gardeners in cold climates often remove pomegranates from their plant wish list when they realize they can’t survive cold temperatures. However, before you assume below-zero temperatures mean you can’t grow these plants at home, note that you can grow them in containers! Planting the trees in pots allows you to move them indoors during the winter to protect them from cold. Plus, containers make moving your pomegranate from one home to the next easy. Much of the care for potted plants is similar to in-ground pomegranates. However, you also need to be aware of factors like the ideal container size and potting soil, as well as differences in water requirements. Following these steps will help you grow a healthy pomegranate tree in a container. Select a Large Container Although pomegranate trees can happily grow in pots, they won’t grow well in small containers. The plants may survive for a year or two, but they’ll experience stunted growth and a lack of flowers. Therefore, it’s important to select a pot that gives the roots room to expand and flourish. While you may be tempted to choose a smaller container and repot your plant as it grows, it’s better to start with a big container. Repotting is an inherently stressful process, so it’s best to avoid it if you can. Plus, why purchase three different sizes of pots when you can get away with buying just one? Look for a container that’s at least 10 gallons. The container material isn’t too important, and plastic, terra cotta, and glazed ceramic can all work well. However, before you select a container, make sure the bottom contains drainage holes. If you live in hardiness zone 7 and below, you should plan on moving your pomegranate to a protected area during the winter. However, this is often easier than it sounds! When you start with a 50-pound ceramic container and fill it with potting mix, your potted pomegranate can easily weigh over a hundred pounds! Choosing a lighter container or placing the pot on wheels can make moving your plant more manageable. Fill With a Well-Draining Potting Mix After you’ve found a suitable container, it’s time to fill it with soil. You shouldn’t use native soil since this can lead to issues with drainage. However, you should also stay away from seed-starting mixes and those designed for vegetative houseplants. Instead, look for a specially formulated potting mix designed for trees and shrubs. These mixes are similar to those that work well for raised beds. Good mixes often contain nutrient-rich compost, peat moss or coco coir, and drainage materials like perlite, sand, or pine bark fines. Once you have a suitable mix, I recommend pouring it out into a large container and thoroughly mixing it with a shovel or your hands. Store-bought mixes often contain large clumps of peat moss or compost, and a good stir ensures a homogeneous mixture. Slowly add water as you mix until it is slightly moist but not damp. Add Your Plant to the Container Fill your container about two-thirds of the way with the potting mix. Remove your pomegranate tree from its current container and gently shake off any loose soil from the plant’s roots. You should also inspect the roots and remove any rotten or discolored portions. Place the plant in the new container so the top of the plant’s root ball is even with the soil line. Avoid burying it too deep since this can lead to problems with rot and growth. Once the plant is in the right place, add more fresh potting soil to fill in the remaining empty spaces. Gently compact the soil with your hands to remove any air pockets. Finally, slowly add water until it is moist. If the soil lowers after you add water, add more to ensure there’s an even layer in the container. Place in a Suitable Location After your pomegranate tree is tucked into its container, it’s time to place it in a location where it receives the proper amount of light. These plants require at least six hours of daily light, but they prefer much more. If they don’t receive enough light, they may become weak and stunted and/or fail to produce flowers and fruit. If your plant is outdoors, choose an open area with full sun. Alternatively, you can place the container on the south-facing side of a building, hedge, or fence. Indoor plants should also receive at least six hours of light, so choose a bright area. Typically, the area next to a south-facing window works well. However, you can also place the potted plant in a sunroom or other room with lots of windows. If you don’t have a bright enough area, use a grow light to provide supplemental lighting. Water Regularly You may have heard that pomegranates trees are drought-tolerant, and while this is true, they can’t survive long periods in a container without water. The best way to keep these plants happy is to allow the soil to dry out slightly, but not all the way, between waterings. When irrigating, it’s important to remember the difference in water needs between potted and in-ground plants. Since the sides of the container are exposed to the air, the soil heats up quicker, and water evaporates faster. Therefore, you’ll need to water your potted plants more often than those growing in the ground. The frequency you need to water your plants depends on factors including sun exposure, temperature, soil type, and container material. However, a good starting point is to water your potted pomegranate one to two times per week. Checking the soil with your fingers is a good way to determine whether or not you should water your plant more often. When the top three to four inches of soil is dry, you should water again. When you irrigate, water slowly to thoroughly soak all of the soil. You can water by hand with a hose or watering can, or you can set up drippers on a timer. Try to keep the foliage dry to prevent fungal diseases. Fertilize Regularly But Sparingly Pomegranate trees aren’t heavy feeders, so you don’t have to supply them with a large dose of fertilizer to keep them happy in a container. However, if you skip fertilizing entirely, the plants will begin to show signs of nutrient deficiencies. This is especially true with potted plants. If you use a nutrient-rich potting mix, you shouldn’t have to fertilize your plant in the first year. However, plan to start adding a balanced fertilizer in year two. An appropriate fertilizer will have an equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, so look for a product with an NPK ratio like 8-8-8 or 10-10-10. Add the fertilizer to your plant once per year in the late spring or early summer. Most organic fertilizers slowly release their nutrients over time, so a single annual application is enough to keep your plant happy. Avoid applying too much fertilizer since excess nutrients can be just as big of an issue as too few nutrients. Keep An Eye on the Temperature Pomegranate plants are more cold-hardy than many people think, but they still can’t tolerate extreme cold. Most pomegranate varieties grow best in zones 8-11 and will become damaged if exposed to temperatures below 10°F (-12°C). Therefore, you should aim to move your plant to a protected area once the temperature begins to drop below freezing. Fortunately, most pomegranates don’t require many chilling hours to produce fruit. That means you can bring the plants indoors during the fall without worrying about a lack of cold interfering with their fruit production. If you bring your plants indoors, you can place them in either a cool area like a covered porch or garage or a warm area like your living room. However, unless you’re dealing with a snap freeze, you should avoid moving them from a cold area immediately to a warm area. Instead, let them slowly acclimate to their new home by gradually increasing the time they spend in a warm place. When the danger of frost has disappeared in the spring, you can move the plants back outdoors. Aim to move them outdoors for a few hours one day, then a few more hours the next day. This slow introduction will help the plants adapt to the cooler air and brighter light.

Have you tried pineberries? They’re the white strawberries that taste like pineapple and are as pretty as they are tasty. Grow them in your garden with your favorite scarlet strawberries to spice up the collection. Explore how to plant, grow, and care for the lovely pineberry with garden expert Katherine Rowe. There’s nothing like a strawberry picked fresh from the garden. The petite herbaceous perennials pack all their might into flowering and fruiting. Popular in the home garden, the genus Fragaria holds about 12 species of strawberries and numerous cultivars bearing fruits from scarlet to white to purple. Pineberries are unique strawberries with the same growing requirements as the red berries we love. Their pretty white berries host a hint of tropical flavor. With white berries and dotted red seeds, pineberries are about as cute as they come. This rare strawberry cultivar pairs perfectly with traditional garden-grown strawberries. The compact plants produce fruit from spring through frost. They’re a delicacy to enjoy (and simply adorable!). Here’s how to cultivate them in your garden! What are Pineberries? Pineberries (Fragaria chiloensis x virginiana) are hybrid strawberries with white, fleshy fruit and red achenes (seeds). A cross between true red strawberries and white strawberries, pineberries feature the same plant characteristics but with unique fruits. Pineberries are highly aromatic, with subtle notes of pineapple and even apricot accompanying the strawberry taste. The pineberry name highlights the pineapple (“pine”) and strawberry (“berry”) features. Strawberry and pineberry fruits differ in size. Pineberries are smaller at about one inch in diameter or a little larger than a dime. They are also softer and more tender than traditional strawberries, making them challenging for bulk production and shipping. Their uniqueness and need for tender care make them pricier than other varieties. Strawberries produce different berries at varying times depending on the cultivar. June-bearing strawberries feature a large yield with large berries early in the season. Everbearing varieties produce smaller berries throughout the growing season. Novelty strawberries range in color (from purple to gold to white) and flavor. Pineberries fall into the everbearing category as a novelty type. Characteristics Pineberries are everbearing strawberries that flower and produce fruit from May through September. While mostly white, berries get a pink blush in full sun. Small plants reach about one foot high and one and a half feet wide, producing runners that sprawl along the ground. The plants make pretty border plantings and container specimens for easy picking. Five-petaled flowers are bright white with yellow centers, sweet and showy on the plant. Dark green leaves of three (tri-foliate) dot the stems. Plants spread through runners, which take root as they grow. As an everbearing strawberry hybrid, pineberries produce a first crop in spring and then at about six-week intervals throughout summer and fall. Fruits are ripe when seeds turn from green to red. Enjoy them fresh from the vine, or prepare them in jams, pies, smoothies, and anywhere you’d use a red strawberry. Native Area Strawberries grow best in cool, mild climates. Over 90% of commercial strawberries in the United States grow in Florida and California. In Florida, production is best from November to April, and in California, from February through November. Pineberries became commercially available in the U.S. in 2012. They are descendants of the white-fruited Chilean strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis. Native peoples cultivated the white strawberry in South America more than a thousand years ago, and it was introduced in France much later — in the early 1700s. The scarlet strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) naturally pollinated the white-fruited Chilean strawberry, and pineberry cultivation began. There are many white strawberries (and pineberries are white strawberries), but they differ from pineberries in cultivar and fruit. Similar to the Chilean pineberry crosses, Japanese white-fruited strawberries have also crossed with Fragaria virginiana to produce the ‘Florida Pearl’ pineberry, which is widely cultivated from extensive strawberry research at the University of Florida. Planting Pineberries prefer cool, mild climates and are well-adapted to grow in most areas. In northern zones, it’s best to plant pineberries in the spring when temperatures are mild and moisture is regular. In southern zones, plant them in the fall for a spring harvest. Pineberries grow well in the ground or in containers. Like other strawberries, they thrive in vertical planting arrangements, towers, and strawberry pots. In frigid climates, overwinter potted plants indoors. Since pineberries are hybrids, they don’t grow true to type from seed. Source them as bare roots, crown plants, or plugs from a grower, or divide runners to make new plants.