Pomegranate bush in bloom in Pacific Northwest

last year

last modified: last year

My pomegranate tree is in bloom.

The tree has been in the ground for about 5 years.

It's an unusual Russian variety 'Parfianka', that is supposed to be a little more cold tolerant and have delicious tasting fruits.

The tree bloomed last year and began forming 3 or 4 little fruit druplets but they dropped off before having time to grow into bigger fruits.

One of the problems is that pomegranates love heat, and this climate does not really have a long annual period of heat for pomegranates to grow and develop fruit.

I do not say this from personal experience but from the online research I did, it seems like normal varieties of pomegranate tend to be killed to the ground by colder than normal winters that come along about every 4 years. (Often the pomegranates will begin to regrow from the base) That is why hardier pomegranate varieties are needed. This tree suffered die-off of two main branches that were on the side of the tree, but otherwise has been able to survive the winters well.

The scarlet flowers are quite attractive, though unfortunately the flowers are not so abundant on the tree as on other ornamental garden bushes. So the flowers can be not as noticeable unless someone is looking closely, and more of the tree looks like a just a big green bush, though the elongated shape of the leaves give an attractive texture to the plant.

The tree/bush is almost 5 feet tall.

Olympia, WA , climate zone 8a, picture taken July 11, 2025

Featured Answer

socalnolympia
Original Author

last year

Olympia does get more summer heat than southern England or San Francisco. It's just that the length of that heat is not the longest, maybe only 2 months with lots of heat.

(Olympia also gets a little more heat than Seattle, even though similar climate overall)

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Comments (9)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
My dad had a pomegranate in Southern England. It bloomed regularly but never produced and fruit. As you say they need real heat.
David Gray
last year
Same here in San Francisco. In the most sheltered spots they succeed, but they are rare.
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vgkg Z-7 Va
last year
We have a "Wonderful" Pom here and this year it only produced male flowers, not 1 female flower. No fruit this season, they're like squash & cukes and produce both flowers.
David Gray
last year
No, their flowers are perfect.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
Both fruiting and ornamental pomegranates grow well here in the PNW, although it is rarely hot enough long enough for the fruiting types to produce actual fruit. The ornamentals flower heavily and are attractive garden additions.........and I don't mind buying the occasional fruit at the store :-)
socalnolympia
Original Author
25 days ago
last modified: 25 days ago
Finally two small fruits appear to be growing on the tree (Parfianka). I'm unsure if they'll have time to ripen. Probably by the end of October or early November it will be too late for any ripening, in this climate.

August 11, 2026

As you can see, both fruits are only about 1.5 inches diameter.

(one bit of information that may or may not be relevant, there is another very small pomegranate bush, different variety, close to it, which produced only two flowers, but the little druplets immediately dropped off the tree. So it's possible there might have been some cross-pollination)
Linda M Thornton
6 days ago
Hey PNW gardeners, I'll be moving back from GA. hopefully by mid November. Have two pomegranates in containers that I plan on rolling out in Spring-early Fall/ they're on roller stands. In winter I keep them indoors here under grow lights, sounds like I'll be needing to do this almost year round!. Lived in Ocean Shores from 1999-2007, didn't do any real gardening then!.
socalnolympia
Original Author
6 days ago
Pomegranates in the PNW (in zone 8 ) in containers will survive fine outside from approximately February 8 to December 20. They can be kept inside an unheated garage, and do not need light while they are dormant. The plants could probably really benefit from a greenhouse from mid-March to mid-April, will help begin growth sooner, hopefully giving more time in the year for the fruit to ripen.