Punica granatum
Pomegranate, balaustier, Carthage apple: its species name granatum means “seeded,” and its fruit—the pomegranate—gave its name to both the city of Granada and the explosive device. Cultivated for more than five thousand years, it is one of the oldest domesticated fruit trees and one of the most spectacular when in flower.
Characteristics:
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Brilliant flowering: bright orange trumpet-shaped flowers from June to September, spectacular even without fruit production.
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Decorative fruit: orange-red pomegranates in autumn, filled with juicy seeds.
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Adaptable shrub: 2 to 5 metres tall, it can be grown as a specimen, in an informal hedge, trained against a support, or in a large pot.
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Glossy foliage: shiny green in summer, turning golden yellow in autumn.
Good to know:
- It needs a long, hot and dry summer to ripen its fruit. In cooler climates, it will flower magnificently but produce little or no fruit—it is already a superb ornamental shrub. Place it against a south-facing wall, sheltered from northerly winds, to maximise your chances.
- Flower initiation requires a short period of winter cold, so it is not suited to climates without a cool season.
Sowing advice:
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Position: sunny, warm and sheltered from cold winds.
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Soil: ordinary soil, even poor or stony, provided it is especially well drained. It tolerates chalky soil and drought once established, but dislikes stagnant winter moisture. Avoid excessive fertilisation: too much nitrogen produces foliage at the expense of flowers.
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Method: these seeds do not require long stratification—this is a Mediterranean species. Clean them carefully to remove all pulp, soak them for 24 hours in lukewarm water, then sow them 1 cm deep at 20–25 °C. A short cold period of 2 to 4 weeks improves the uniformity of germination but is not essential. See how to sow your seeds.
Planting advice:
- Transplant into the ground in mild regions, or into a large pot elsewhere so it can be sheltered over winter. Hardy to approximately -12 °C once well established.
- A plant grown from seed produces variable fruit, sometimes different from that of the parent—this is the adventure of propagation by seed, whereas nurseries take cuttings to reproduce a variety identically.
Care advice:
- Water regularly during the first few years and while fruiting, then much less frequently. Water stress during fruit formation causes the fruit to split.
- Prune lightly at the end of winter to open up the centre and remove suckers, which it readily produces.
Harvesting advice:
- Harvest pomegranates when their skin is well coloured and slightly angular, before the first autumn rains cause them to split. They keep for several weeks in a cool place.
Beneficial combinations:
Benefits for biodiversity:
- Its large, nectar-rich orange flowers are heavily visited by bees and bumblebees throughout the long summer flowering period.
- Its split or fallen fruit feeds birds and insects in autumn.
Uses:
- Fresh seeds in salads, juice, homemade grenadine syrup, or sprinkled over savoury dishes in the Middle Eastern style. A striking ornamental plant for its flowering.
Symbolism:
A symbol of fertility and abundance in almost all Mediterranean cultures, the pomegranate appears in the myth of Persephone, in the Bible and in Persian art. Its countless seeds have made it an emblem of prosperity.
Harvesting your own seeds:
Take seeds from a fully ripe fruit, remove all the juicy pulp by rubbing them in water, then dry them for a few days. Sow them promptly, as their germination capacity declines over time. See how to store your seeds.
Commitment to Quality: at SemiSauvage - Permaculture, we grow and select our seeds with respect for all living things as our guiding principle. Based near the Volcans d'Auvergne, we choose open-pollinated, non-hybrid varieties, test them for germination rates, and carefully sort and package them without any chemical treatment. Our belief: to give gardeners back the ability to resow, year after year, seeds that truly belong to them.
Brilliant orange flowering, and pomegranates when summer conditions allow.
