I am so excited this year about Loquats. It's rare for me to find a tree that I love this much and then find out its hardy. You see I have a natural affinity to zone 9 and 10 plants. It always starts with my plant radar going mental. I usually spot something in a nursery, heart racing I speed walk over to it, look at the tag and what do you know "USDA zone 9-10." With the loquats, it almost feels too good to be true. But then I run into specimens like this one in Port Coquitlam BC and I realize, they really are hardy.
This stunner of a loquat is growing in an exposed area right at near the edge of the driveway. The google street view from a few years ago shows it with some minor damage to the foliage but it has obviously grown out of it. What's odd is that loquats are still somewhat rare in nurseries in metro Vancouver - it baffles me!
Here's my little loquat enjoying some sunshine. Despite the cool weather it seems to be pushing out some new growth and settling into its pot nicely. Seeing more and more loquats around looking so good makes me think I should find a nice place to plant this guy as a permanent fixture of the garden. #weekend projects
Oh yes you should! If I think about the fact that I've now got two of these in my small back garden it makes me nervous. But then I try not to think about the future and just enjoy the now...
ReplyDeleteI think I will! and the even better part is that I will have an empty pot that I will "need" to fill. Don't worry about your loquats right now... just enjoy. You garden will let you know when things need some re-arranging.
DeleteLoquats are so cool. I'm still kicking myself for not buying a decent one I saw a couple of summers ago that was over 6 feet tall and CHEAP. Any I find now would have to go in a pot, but who cares!
ReplyDeleteI REALLY like your retaining wall, especially the way you gently tiered it back. You must get great drainage there. Nice Trachy, too, and is that an olive I spy on the left?
Loquats rock! Ahhh a 6 foot tall cheap loquat... amazing! I'm sure you will find the perfect loquat one day and you will just know.
Deletethe retaining walls are really great! They were done a number of years ago. The backyard is mainly a south facing hillside. Believe it or not, that entire patio area used to be one ginormous rhodo that took up that whole back corner. The best part is the heat and drainage. That area warms up really nicely and has some good drainage. We were actually worried it might be too fast and added some really nice mushroom manure this spring to keep everything happy. and you are right, there is a small little olive!!!! good eye! That is my pride and joy right now. It's a Leccino olive and from what I have read it should be one of the hardiest olives. So here's to trying it out. I might pick up another one just in case. I'm worried that despite good hardiness it might be too immature to handle a real winter.