The first fruit that comes to mind is the kiwi, ornamental varieties such as Actinidia kolomikta have been grown in this country for years but not for its fruit. This variety has multi coloured leaves and makes a really unusual climbing feature, but you can actually grow edible kiwis with some success.

Kiwis were originally called the Chinese gooseberry because many who tried it said it had a similar taste to the gooseberry. They were renamed in the 20th Century for marketing reasons, firstly to ‘mellonette’ and then to ‘kiwifruit’ (after the New Zealand bird…brown and furry!) - the latter as to avoid the import tax on ‘melons’ coming into the USA.

Kiwi ‘Hayward’ is the most commonly grown species world-wide and if planted in the right place become really vigorous climbers. They require a really sunny sheltered wall and are best kept pruned to size otherwise they become a bit rampant. They are borderline hardy with the young shoots often damaged by late frosts and if grown in a cold garden they are best kept safe under glass. Female Kiwi ‘Hayward’ plants need a male pollinator nearby in order for pollination to occur and one male can service many females. ‘Hayward’ can produce a really heavy crop of lovely sweet fruit if the right conditions are provided.

Another great kiwi to try is Kiwi ‘issai’ which is a Siberian variety. The fruits are much smaller and sweeter than normal varieties and can be eaten like grapes with the skin on. The advantage with this variety is that they don’t require a pollinator and are happy by themselves.