Unique Collections – Loquats
An ever changing selection of Loquats from our collection that we are either still trialing, eventually introducing, or are culling from the herd.
Brief descriptions of currently listed varieties:
Wolfe: a variety shared with us years ago for its ability to have a longer flowering period than others and therefore produce fruits in more marginal climates. So far we haven’t seen too much evidence of that but when it does make fruits they are very tasty, almost like a candied orange flavor.
Oliver: huge clusters of flowers and therefore huge crops of loquats in the right climate, orange fruits have a sweet almost stone fruit flavor
Harvest: sweet melony tasting fruits that have a light flesh color
Michael: a selection from AKME gardens in Alabama that they said had particularly good fruit
A strikingly beautiful, small to medium size evergreen tree, Loquats feature long, dark green, deeply toothed foliage and tasty, light orange, apricot-like fruit. oquat is very happy in the Maritime Northwest, although its pesky habit of blooming in the winter makes it difficult to produce fruit in our region, though planting more than one plant as well as providing habitat for over wintering hummingbirds that pollinate the loquat flowers greatly increases chances of fruit. Loquat’s ornamental value makes it well worth growing and, depending on the winter weather, you should occasionally receive a crop of this unusual and delicious fruit.
Latin Name: Eriobotrya japonica
Site and Soil: Loquats like 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Pollination Requirements: This tree is partially self-fertile, planting with other loquat varieties or seedlings can help to ensure fruit set
Rootstock: grafted on loquat seedlings
Hardiness: Hardy to 0º F. or below.
Bearing Age: 3-5 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 12-15 ft, up to 30 ft. with great age if left unpruned
Bloom Time: December – February
Ripening Time: Early summer
Yield: 50+ lbs.
Pests & Diseases: This tree is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 7
Sunset Western Zone: 6-24, H1, H2