The Name of My Favorite Plant
'Arctic Beauty' kiwi plant.
How I First Found Out About This Plant
Since I love the fuzzy kiwi you can buy in the supermarket, I decided to try to grow one I saw in a plant magazine 20 years ago. As you can see, it really has grown.
How I Have Cared for This Plant
Kiwi plants are pretty much care-free. As long as you have a good support system (I'm on my fourth one!), kiwi plants do the rest for you! I fertilize the kiwi plants once a year towards fall.
Pests, Diseases or Other Problems for This Plant
The birds love the fruit as much as I do and they seem to know when it is ready!
Why I Love This Plant So Much
They are beautiful and not too many people have kiwi plants around here. The male kiwi plant has more of a variegated leaf that turns a whitish/pinkish color. Last year I planted a red kiwi plant which is doing wonderful also, and this year I found two Arctic Beauty kiwi plants growing elsewhere that the birds must have planted. As you can tell from the picture it is very tall. I am 5'8" and the kiwi plant towers over me!
Location: My Region, Location of the Plant in My Yard
We live in central Wisconsin, zone 4, the kiwi plant has approximately 4-6 hours of sunlight a day. It is planted on the northeast side of our yard. We have very heavy clay soil, which I try to amend every few years for it.
Tips and Tricks
- This vine does it all itself. For fruit you need both the female and male kiwi plants. You really do need a very sturdy trellis. My husband made ours out of steel. We tried wood and resin and it wouldn't hold up the weight.
