Lycium barbarum
Chinese boxthorn, Goji berry, Common matrimony vine
Also known as Lycium halimifolium
- Height × spread
- 2.5m × 2m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Spring, Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
Goji berries can be eaten fresh or dried. They need to be shaken gently from the plant into a container as they bruise easily. The fruits destroy 'free radicals' that are the cause of cancer and that speed up the aging process. They have 500 times the quantity of vitamin C than is found in oranges. The plant itself makes a medium sized shrub with long, arching, often spiny stems. The leaves are sometimes as short as 2 cm or as long as 10 cm and are noticeably slender. The shrub doesn't look particularly tidy in its growth habit. There are small purple funnel shaped flowers, carried in the leaf axils during May to July. The fruit develops from then till October. This shrub can be grown as an informal hedge.
- Flower colour
- Purple, Violet
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Fruit colour
- Red
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Fan
- Height
- 2.5m
- Spread
- 2m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Flowers in
- Spring, Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Seaside garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Loam (normal)
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Well drained soil
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Hedge
- Hazards
- Yes, stems are prickly/thorny
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
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.