Pomegranate

I last interacted with a pomegranate tree growing in the garden at Mamathes trading store about sixty years ago, so the details of how they work are a bit foggy. Anyway late last year, against my better judgment my two daughters cajoled me into buying one about a metre tall in a pot. It was covered in buds and flowers and looked very showy - clearly evolution at work trying to attract female attention and get it to a new home.

Soon after being transplanted, all the flowers and buds fell off, but we got one reasonable sized fruit from the single bud that regrew. It was left on too long because of uncertainty about how red the skin needed to be for it to be considered ripe. The middle went rotten, but like the curates egg, parts of it were very good.

In winter all the leaves fell off, and I had the usual twinge of guilt at having killed it. But even though it has glossy leaves, it's deciduous, so all is well.

At the moment it's doing nicely, but only one bud so far. Maybe there'll be more? This season we'll have a better sense of ripeness.

Update 2015/10/11:

It's a really attractive tree - even though it still has only the one bud.

Update 2015/11/15:

The bud fell off in the wind a week or so back, so nothing this season.

A cultural history of the pomegranate - Picking Pomegranates.