Hardy Kiwi (Berries, minor fruits and fruit trees)

Hardiness zone : 4

Necissitates a male for pollination : Meader

The Anna cultivar is a female plant bearing dense clusters of medium to large oblong fruits with a bright green background and a brilliant red color under good sun exposure. The flesh is bright green with a pineapple aroma and taste. Flavors are tropical and citrusy, sweet and slightly tart.

Vines will begin producing in the third season, producing several pounds initially and capable of producing, with proper care, over 50 pounds per year when they reach their peak.

Remember to protect all your Kiwi plants when the weather is forecast to be below 0°C in late May.

On presale: available mid-May 2024

Climbing plant whose female plant does not need a male for the pollination. White fragrant flowering followed by green fruits of 4 to 5 cm. The fruits are bigger than Actinidia kolomikta. Green glossy foliage.

Pruning: remove dead, broken or diseased stems early in spring. Then prune the secondary branches by cutting above the 3rd or 4th bud. Flowers will be produced on the current year's stems. Climbing plant that requires a very strong trellis.

Think of protecting all your plants of Kiwi when we announce below 0°C at the end of May.

Hardiness zone: 4

Exposure : Sun

Height : 7m

Male

Male kiwi of the Arguta family. Pollinator for female plants of the same family

Compatible plants: Issai, Anna, Geneva, Michigan State, Ken's red, Chung bai.

Planting distance between each plant: 4 feet.

Hardiness zone: 4b

A new hardy arguta female kiwi selected from Korea. The vines have high vigor and very productive. Firm fruits are large nickel to quarter size and are heart-shaped to round. The plants are extremely hardy in cold climates. The flavor of the fruit is mostly sweet, with very little acidity. Male pollinator is Meader.

Height : 2m

Width : 6m

Hardiness zone: 5

Exposition : Half-shade, sun.

Need a male 'Arguta' for polinization

Michigan State produces large, flavorful and aromatic lime green fruits that are larger than most other varieties.

The variety produces large, oblong, thumb-shaped berries with good storability and a delicious, gourmet flavor, mostly sweet with only some acidity.

Yields can reach 80 lbs and more per plant. This variety requires an Arguta male plant for pollination.

Hardiness zone: 3b

Exposure: Sun

On presale: Available mid June 2024

A large fruiting selection of the Russian species Actinidia kolomikta. Can be planted 6' apart and in partial shade. Fruit is earlier than A. arguta and smaller. The leaves are maple red in summer and mixed with green. Hardy to -35°C. Zones 3-7 Space trellised 10' apart. Need a A. Kolomkta for the pollination.

Produces good crops of medium size, sweet and flavorful fruit and is also prized for its colorful foliage. Make sure to pair with a Pasha™ male Arctic beauty kiwi for pollination or a non selected male is also fully suitable. One male will pollinate up to 8 female kiwis.

Female

Produces around the age of 7 years; fruits in September. Exposure in full sun.

Compatible plants: Pascha, Meader, Andrew.

Planting distance between plants: 4 feet. 

Hardiness zone: 5

Geneva Hardy Kiwi is a vigorous A. arguta female vine tested at the Geneva, New York Experiment Station. Geneva Hardy Kiwi seems very hardy and will produce delicious, smooth-skinned, medium-sized fruit. Should be pollinated with our Male Hardy Kiwi type actinidia Arguta.

Height : 6m

Width : 5m

Hardiness zone : 4

Exposition : Sun

On presale: available mid-May 2024

This male will pollinate any female A. Kolomikta

Height : 4m

Width : 2m

Hardiness zone: 4

Exposition : Sun, half-shade.

Native to the forests of eastern Asia, about 80 species of Actinidia are known. Two of these, A. kolomikta and A. arguta can be grown in Canada and similar regions, and produce delicious, grape-sized berries with a flavor similar to grocery store kiwifruit though somewhat sweeter. A third, A. polygama can be grown in this region but its flavor is quite bland in comparison. Kiwifruit vines have beautiful foliage along with tasty fruit. The vigorous growth habit makes it suitable for a variety of cover-type uses such as trellises, arbors, patio overheads, fences, or walls.

Most kiwifruit plants are either male or female: only the females produce berries, while the males supply the pollen. The smooth-skinned berries of the cold-hardy species are typically an emerald green, though you might find varieties with reddish skin and flesh. The berry shape can vary from round to elongate.

The most winter-hardy kiwifruit, A. kolomikta, produces fruit about the size of large grapes. In milder climates, this vigorous species produces cherry-sized fruit. The skin is hairless, so the fruit can be eaten whole, without peeling.

A. kolomikta, sometimes called "Arctic Beauty Kiwi," can be hardy below -40°C or  -40°F, although some plants may not bear fruit the season following a winter that cold. The twining vine will grow at least ten feet long and spread about three feet wide. A. kolomikta foliage is attractive, with variegated pink, white and green leaves, and is sometimes planted for its ornamental value alone. The male plants are commonly more variegated than female plants, and variegation increases as the plants mature.

A. kolomikta performs best in partially shaded sites with well-drained soil and some protection from strong winds. They are neither drought tolerant nor flood tolerant: if the soil becomes too dry, the vine may survive, but the fruit will drop; and if the soil is too wet, the vine is likely to succumb to root rot. Actinidia vines grow well in soil that is acidic to slightly alkaline (pH 5.5-7.5).

A. kolomikta is less vigorous than A. arguta, so little pruning should be necessary. Train the vine to a single trunk for best flowering and fruiting, but don't head back or thin out shoots from this trunk, since fruit will be borne along the length of the stems. Cut stems will "bleed" or run with sap if pruning is done in spring, so any pruning should be done in January and February, with only light pruning in July, if necessary.

This Hardy Kiwi is a male variety and should be planted with every 5 female plants.
The Meader cultivar is a male plant so it will not produce fruit but it is used to pollinate varieties of the family Arguta, such as Anna, Michigan State, Issai and Chung Bai. Its hardiness zone is 5a-7b.

This variety requires a female plant to make fruits: Anna, Chung Bai, Michigan State, Issai.

On presale: available mid-May 2024

A good pollinator for our female Kolomikta varieties, Pasha™ also a fine ornamental vine and features strikingly colorful foliage. One Pasha™ Male plant can pollinate up to 8 female plants. Male Kiwi plants do not bear fruit.

Compatible variety: September sun (female).

Planting distance between plans: 4 feet

Hardiness zone: 4