2 Kinds of Kiwis

Lucky me. I've got 2 kinds of kiwi fruit in my yard and it looks like both will be bearing fruit this year. Technically the familiar, brown, fuzzy kiwi isn't mine. But much of the vine is hanging into my yard and my neighbor is generous and will not be able to eat all the fruit if the volume of blossoms is any indication of the harvest.

Although most often associated with New Zealand, this type of kiwi is native to China and was planted in New Zealand in the early 1900s, and later in California.

Due to some well meaning, but overly aggressive pruning the plant has not produced fruit for the last couple of years. So it will be especially welcome this year. We should be enjoying the fruit by October or November.

It is actually two plants, a male and a female. For most kiwis it is necessary to have both for the flowers to be pollinated and produce fruit.

And on my side of the fence I've got this little guy, a hardy, self pollinating kiwi, Actinidia arguta 'Issai. I got the plant last year at The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Sale, and it produced 3 blossoms and no fruit. It lived in a container up until this spring when I decided it needed to go in the ground. It sits next to the backyard fence and I have strung wire between the fence posts on which I hope it will climb.

Along with lots of new growth since it went into the earth, there has been a profusion of blossoms and now lots of tiny green fruits. Excitement is mounting.

And this is Pearl returning from patrolling the neighbor's yard.