Punica granatum
At a time of year when few shrubs are in flower, this rarely seen ornamental pomegranate surprises with its display of bright shiny buds and showy flowers. The glossy mid-green leaves make a good foil for the double orange-red flowers, streaked and edged with white. The shrub can be found in the Mediterranean section of the Mediterranean Climate Garden (Area L).
The plant was named after Madame Caroline Legrelle d'Hanis, a prize winning and innovative Belgian horticulturalist who was apparently given the only existing plant, in the 1860s, by another Belgian woman horticulturalist who was living in Illinois!
Protection from hard frost is advisable for this shrub which grows to 3m. The edible fruits are unlikely to grow here. The species, P. granatum, is cultivated for its fruit in Mediterranean climate areas of Europe, Asia, Africa and the US. From ancient times it spread from its native area - Persia to North India - and features strongly in the mythology and cultures of a number of countries, and there are many biblical references.
