Punica granatum var. nana - Pomegranate

Punica granatum var. nana is a dwarf form of the Pomegranate, which is quite charming, remarkably floriferous, very bushy, and reduced in all its parts. It blooms for a long time in summer, producing an abundance of flowers with crumpled petals of a perfectly highlighted bright orange, complemented by dark green, glossy, and leathery foliage. Its shiny fruits, miniature pomegranates with very red cheeks, are quite decorative and persist on the bush throughout winter. It can be grown in a large pot or in open ground, making it accessible to all gardeners. It will thrive in the majority of our regions, as its cold resistance is quite honourable. As a Mediterranean plant by essence, it does not fear long, hot, and dry summers, which help ripen its fruits, nor does it fear difficult and stony soils.

The origins of the pomegranate are likely to be in a vast region covering southeastern Europe and extending eastward to the Himalayas. This deciduous small tree of the family Lythraceae is curiously related to the purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which is very common near our watercourses. It has been cultivated since ancient times for its fruits and magnificent flowering. Nana is a very compact vsariety, similar in all respects to its cousin, but not exceeding 1.2m (3ft 11in) in height and 1m (3ft 4 in) in width at maturity. It slowly forms a slightly thorny cluster of tangled branches, and does not reach maturity until the age of 5. The adult plant develops at a much slower pace, forming a slightly spreading and rounded bush after a few years. The flowering occurs in abundance in June-July, and then more sporadically throughout the summer, depending on the climate and sunlight. The flowers, single, 3.5cm (1.4in) wide, are composed of crumpled petals emerging from a waxy-textured calyx that already resembles a pomegranate. They are intensely orange under the summer sun, in perfect chromatic harmony with the intense, vibrant, and glossy green foliage. The fruit, edible and shiny, appears covered in leather and displays various shades of bronze, red, and brown. The deciduous foliage is composed of small, thick, glossy, ovate leaves of a bright green color. They emerge bronze to purple in spring and turn yellow before falling in autumn.

The Dwarf Pomegranate is a magnificent subject to plant in a large pot on the terrace or in a low hedge, and it is easily managed as a bonsai. This shrub can be grown in open ground in all regions where temperatures do not drop below -15°C (5 °F). It will grow without any problem wherever the olive tree and the fig tree manage to survive. However, it still needs warmth and summer sun to flower abundantly. It can also be used in a low hedge, associated with Myrtus tarentina, or Leptospermum 'Silver Sheen' in mild climates, or Buddleia 'Silver Anniversary' in colder regions. It can even be paired with bush roses (Rosa 'Ispahan', Rosa gallica 'Versicolor', 'Jacques Cartier') as in the gardens of the Alhambra. On the terrace, it will stand out in a large pot, accompanied by other terrace shrubs. This cultivation method allows the tree to be stored in a very bright room, warm in very cold regions.

The city of Granada, a crossroads of 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 the Romans, who discovered it in Carthage, named it the Apple of Carthage.