Punica granatum Noshi Shibari - Pomegranate

Punica granatum Noshi Shibari is an ancient variety of flowering pomegranate of Japanese origin, appreciated not for its fruits, which almost never form, but for its magnificent and long double flowering. Its large crumpled flowers are loaded with petals whose very vivid colour is intermediate between red and orange. They are enhanced by beautiful foliage, of a vibrant spring green colour. Vigorous and generous, it is also a low-maintenance and easy-to-grow bush, even in dry soil. Its flowering brings a rare colour to the garden, which will be superb alongside ceanothus or white lilacs, for example.

The flowering pomegranate Noshi Shibari is a small tree or large bush from the Lythraceae family, related to the purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) which is so common near waterways. The fruiting pomegranate, from which it descends, originates from a vast region that covers southeastern Europe and extends eastward to the Himalayas.

'Noshi Shibari' first forms a clump of non-thorny and slightly tangled branches in its youth, showing fairly rapid growth until maturity, which does not occur until the age of 5. The adult plant develops at a much slower pace, forming a small tree 3 to 3.50 m (9 ft 10 in to 11 ft 6 in) in height with a minimum spread of 2 m and a spreading and rounded habit, after a few years. From a clump, it becomes a tree with a gnarled-looking trunk, reminiscent of olive trees. The initially smooth grey-beige bark peels as it ages. Flowering sometimes starts as early as April, depending on the region. It continues from May-June until August, on slightly arched branches at least one year old. The flowers are large for the species and measure 6 cm (2.4 in) in diameter. They are composed of numerous crumpled petals in a red-orange emerging from a thick waxy-textured calyx that resembles a pomegranate bud. But in this variety, like in all double-flowered pomegranates, the flowers are sterile and no fruits are formed. The deciduous foliage consists of small ovate, thick and glossy, vibrant green leaves. They emerge bronze to purple in spring and turn golden yellow before falling in autumn.

A symbol of abundance like its emblematic ancestor of ancient civilizations, the flowering pomegranate is a magnificent subject to plant in a warm location. Hardy down to -12/-15°C, it will easily thrive wherever olive trees and fig trees can survive. It can also be used as a hedge, with regular pruning, combined with star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), myrtles, and even, as in the gardens of the Alhambra, with large shrub roses (Rosa complicata, Rosa glauca, Ghislaine de Feligonde, Rosa mutabilis...).

The city of Granada, a crossroad between Arab and Andalusian civilizations, located in southern Spain, owes its name to the presence of the pomegranate, brought by the Moors and abundantly planted in the mythical gardens of the Alhambra palace. This tree also thrived in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and was discovered by the Romans in Carthage, who named it the Carthage Apple.