Q: My neighbor has no idea what this shrub is, having bought it from a nursery but not keeping any tags. I’ve never seen anything like it. The growth habit is like a nice holly – full, prunable, and thick foliage. Her’s are about 3 1/2 feet tall.

The flower looks like a 1 inch camellia bloom, and has something on the inside that looks like a rose hip. The longest leaves are approximately 1.5 inches long. Any idea what it is?

A: It’s a double-flowered pomegranate…maybe ‘Chico’, which produces no fruit except the “hip” you saw.

I imagine it will be as hardy as the normal fruiting pomegranates but consider protecting it if temperatures drop below 20 degrees.

See:

TopTropicals Plant Catalog

Green Beam