Greg Grant

Pomegranates, once popular in Southern gardens, are starting to bloom.

Native to the Middle East, pomegranates may prove hardy in favored spots as far north as Washington, D.C., but are best adapted to the Deep South.

They have a long history here, for the plant was introduced into North America by Jesuit missionaries following in the footsteps of Cortez. From Mexico, pomegranates were carried northward to missions in California and probably east to Texas. They were also thought to have been planted by Spanish settlers in St. Augustine, Florida. No matter when, they thrive along the Gulf Coast.

The plant form is that of a large shrub or small deciduous tree. Pomegranates are typically multitrunked. This makes them good material for hedges since the foliage is bright green and the stems are somewhat thorny. Though most commonly grown for their fruit, pomegranates are also remarkable for the beauty of their flowers, which are borne over a period of several months in spring and early summer. Fruiting types have single orange flowers; however, showier double-flowered (non-fruiting) cultivars occur in carnation-like orange, cream and variegated.

Pomegranates appear very early on in the history of western gardens. In Rome, Pliny considered pomegranates to be among the most valuable of ornamental and medicinal plants. Theophrastus provided an early description about 300 years before the Christian era. Many legends concerning the pomegranate have been handed down by Asian people. The many seeds are supposed to be a symbol of fertility, and in Turkey there is a custom that a bride throw a ripe pomegranate to the ground. Then by counting the number of seeds that fall out of the fruit, she can divine the number of children she will bear. The erect calyx-lobes of the fruit were the inspiration for Solomon’s crown, and so for all subsequent king’s crowns.

Although of easy culture, pomegranates prefer a sunny location and well-drained soil. They thrive in acid or alkaline soils and tolerate heavy clay as long as there is sufficient drainage. Many forms exist, but not all fruit well. Some aren’t completely cold hardy here either. Mature specimens withstand drought well, but fruit often splits after rainy spells following extended dryness. Plants are often long-lived, with some trees in France recorded as having fruited for more than 200 years.

Propagation is by seed or cuttings, with cuttings necessary to perpetuate specific cultivars. Dormant hardwood cuttings root well, as do softwood cuttings kept under mist in the summer.

Though most commonly eaten fresh, pomegranate fruits may also be processed into syrups, such as grenadine, juice or jelly. Dwarf forms are also sometimes available. In areas above zone 8, plants may freeze back to the ground. Interesting trials with pomegranates from the Middle East and Russia are being conducted by Texas A&M Agrilife Extension horticulturists in Uvalde who believe that some may have superior fruiting, growth and hardiness characteristics. I hope so because I love them.

Greg Grant is the Smith County horticulturist for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. You can follow him on Facebook at Greg Grant Gardens, read his “Greg’s Ramblings” blog at arborgate.com or read his “In Greg’s Garden” in each issue of Texas Gardener magazine (texasgardener.com). More gardening information from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service can be found on the Aggie Horticulture website at aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.