Acca sellowiana
Pineapple guava, Guava
Also known as Feijoa sellowiana
- Height × spread
- 4m × 4m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Flowers
- Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
This is a beautiful shrub for a mild area. It has lovely grey green leaves which are rather rounded in appearance with felted undersides and grey leaf stalks. It flowers seldom but if you are lucky you will see rather exotic little numbers with exuberant sprays of crimson stamens, gold tipped, surrounded by white petals with rolled sides. In theory there are yellow egg-shaped fruits, but these are even rarer than the flowers. The fruits have an aromatic flavour and are eligible for consumption once they have fallen from the shrub. It is also possible to eat the flower petals as they are sweet-tasting and are recommended in a salad. On a mature plant the bark exfoliates (peels) and has a rusty orange shade.
- Flower colour
- Red, White
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Stem colour
- Grey
- Fruit colour
- Yellow
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 4m
- Spread
- 4m
- Height in 10 years
- 2.5m
- Spread in 10 years
- 2.5m
- Season of interest
- Summer
- Flowers in
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Small scale garden, Seaside garden, Exotic garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun, tolerates part shade, tolerates light shade
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Cold to -15C (RHS H5)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Wall cover, Structural, Sensory garden (tactile)
- Walls
- South, West facing
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water during drought
In drought conditions where established plants in the ground have had no water for a month, do a deep watering. If drought continues repeat after a fortnight. Plants only need watering during spring to autumn growth. Check plants in pots more often.
Established plants have a good degree of drought tolerance. Water after a prolonged period of drought. Many drought tolerant plants can rapidly revive, even when much of the foliage has died. They will respond with new growth.
Summer
Summer - early · Outdoors
Feed a general fertiliser
Where plants have moderate needs for nutrients, they can simply be given a general feed, fairly early in the growth season so that the growth has plenty of time to harden off before the cold weather.
Give plants a general boost with the application of a general purpose fertiliser which is spread around the root area of the plant, with amounts as directed on the feed label.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.