Q: Is it hard to grow kiwi fruit in northeast Georgia? Dennis Smith, Winder
A: I think you are a bit too far north to grow grocery kiwi, but there are other options. Hardy kiwi, Actinidia arguta, is sometimes called kiwiberry, since the fruit is the size of a grape. It is different from the fuzzy kiwifruit, Actinidia deliciosa, commonly available at groceries. In fact, there are two kiwi vines that are completely hardy here. Actinidia arguta has hairless fruit. ‘Issai’ and ‘Ananasnaya’ are sold by mail-order nurseries for garden planting. A. kolomikta, ‘Arctic Beauty’ kiwi, is grown as an ornamental vine for its pink and white variegated younger leaves. A. kolomikta is particularly cold-hardy, with small but sweet fruit, rich in vitamin C. Plant kiwiberry vines in a spot that is sheltered from biting winter winds. Their culture is much like muscadine grape. I have a neighbor in Decatur who has a huge fuzzy kiwi vine. She has harvested kiwifruit for several years.
Q: I have a pink variegated lemon tree in a container that I just brought inside for its first winter. It looks to be very healthy and is currently flowering. When is the right time to prune it? Derek Smart, email
A: I don’t think it would be a good idea to prune in winter. Removing leaves means the lemon would not receive as much benefit from the limited amount of light it gets indoors. You need approximately 40 leaves to make each fruit ripen. I would leave it alone until you take it outdoors in the spring.
Q: My potted hydrangea was once full of pretty blooms. I moved it outdoors and it certainly grew well but it rarely ever blooms. James McLelland, email
A: Potted hydrangeas rarely bloom very well outdoors. They have been bred to have short, thick branches that can support numerous flowers. Also, flower buds of florist hydrangeas are too tender for most Atlanta winters.
Q: We have a row of black-eyed Susans alongside our house. Pretty in summer but bare in winter. What could we plant to have winter interest? Alicia Young, email
A: There are few perennial plants that bloom in fall and winter because there are few insects around to aid pollination. Consider a mixture of hellebores, daffodils, winter aconite, snowdrops, cyclamen, Italian arum and lycoris. None of these bloom throughout the season, but you’ll get some foliage interest and short seasons of flowers from them.
Listen to Walter Reeves’ segments at 6:35 a.m. on “Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca” Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, follow him on Twitter @walterreeves, on Pinterest, or join his Facebook Fan Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener for more garden tips.
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