Hobby gardeners are currently madly in love with healthy snacks from their own cultivation. Sweet fruits stand at the top of the wish list of both children and adults alike. The new varieties of mini fruits and berry bushes that come along are all very low-maintenance and robust in the face of most diseases. They even fit onto a balcony and promise quick success to garden newbies—many opportunities for felicitous marketing. Maybe one should recommend the many possible applications as well: to be eaten either directly from the plant, or as a fruity addition in a salad, a healthy office snack, a yoghurt, as jam, dried in cereals or even as a tea – there are plenty ideas for this kind of fruit.
Raspberries and Blueberries belong to the most popular berry varieties – especially as children love their sweetness. The new breed Vaccinium corymbosum BonBonBerry® Blue Suede (‘TH682’PBR; EU 52192) is self-pollinating, so even one single plant gives more berries than one could count. It has a compact habit and is therefore perfect for containers on the patio or balcony. In spring, BonBonBerry® Blue Suede is abundantly covered with white flowers. The big blueberries taste delightfully juicy and sweet and are full of vitamins and antioxidants. When autumn comes, the green foliage becomes a dark red to make BonBonBerry® Blue Suede an eyecatcher the whole gardening year-round.
Hobby gardeners can pick even more healthy sweets with Rubus idaeus BonBonBerry® Yummy (‘Jdeboer19’PBR; EU 20180636). This is a self-pollinating raspberry, so the pink fruits are guaranteed and grow from summer till into autumn. The compact, bushy plant with light green foliage fits into the garden and a container on the terrace or the balcony. It is easy to maintain, can be cut in spring, and is not prone to diseases. BonBonBerry® Yummy is rich in anthocyanin, positively affecting heart and blood vessels. BonBonBerry® Yummy is rich in antioxidants as well. These play an essential part in the ageing process, reduce inflammation and the risk of different illnesses.
Gardeners can find huge red sweet raspberries on Rubus idaeus Groovy (‘Jdeboer005’PBR; EU 57353). It’s a very family-friendly plant as it has no thorns. It bears fruit on the new shoots so that anyone can prune it easily in spring. Rubus Groovy is winter hardy up to -35° Celsius. It grows in the sun and half shade and likes soils rich in humus, moist and well-drained. The leaves in bright yellow contrast nicely with the red berries, making for a spectacular addition in mixed borders, as a solitary plant, and as a hedge as well.
The only crabapple that tastes great
Eventually, here comes a crabapple that has a great taste: Malus transitoria Appletini® (‘Gulliver’PBR; EU 20170480) is unique. The mini apples are not larger than a ping pong ball but taste as good as their big family members. Malus Appletini becomes about 3 m high and 1.5 m wide. It prefers a place in full sun and can grow in all kinds of soil. In spring, it abundantly grows pink flowers, followed by many dark red apples in autumn. Appletini Malus Appletini is self-pollinating and can be used in small gardens and even in containers on a balcony or terrace. It is winter hardy up -30 °C.
New opportunities for lovers of Mediterranean gardens open up Ficus carica Little Miss Figgy (‘LMF01’PBR; EU 20192170). The name already tells us it is a very compact dwarf ficus that becomes about 90 cm high and wide. Planted into a container, it even fits onto a terrace or balcony or into a small city garden. This way, it can also quickly be brought into a winter shelter if one lives in a colder region. Little Miss Figgy is well winter hardy for a ficus up to -15 ºC. To keep the best-liked shape, Little Miss Figgy can be pruned in winter after the leaves have fallen off. It carries deeply lobed, dark green foliage and short internodes. It produces lots of large, sweet, burgundy coloured figs along the branches in spring and fall and prefers full sun and tolerates half shade. This plant is drought resistant and accordingly likes dry, light soils and does not like heavy winds.
An Asian-exotic touch and a reputation as a superfood bring Lycium Princess Tao into the garden. Even in the first year, from May to autumn, the light purple flowers appear. This Lycium gives deliciously sweet, shiny red berries from July to November that are larger than that of other Lycium. You can enjoy them fresh from the bush or dried. Princess Tao is an easy-to-grow plant that requires little water and maintenance. It is not sensitive to mildew. Plant Princess Tao in the sun in a well-permeable ground against a wall or rack and prune the main branches back at the end of winter. Princess Tao is winter hardy up to -25 ºC.
Propagators for all mentioned varieties can be found on the website www.plantipp.eu. The royalty management office Plantipp represents the varieties throughout Europe.
About Plantipp
Plantipp is an independent company with a strong network of breeders, growers and traders across the world. Connecting people and plants together is our core business. We believe the key to this is open and transparent communication with our partners. Plantipp has an eye for innovation.
