Hardy Exotic Plants for Your Summer Garden

Many people associate exotic plants with humid climates and the warm sun of southern countries. Yet some trees and shrubs from faraway regions can be grown successfully in a home garden. This guide goes one step further and highlights exotic species that are also hardy. Some of the plants below do more than bring a holiday feeling to the garden: they also produce sweet fruit and, in a few cases, edible parts that ripen beautifully outdoors.

1. Decaisnea fargesii

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: pods
• Maximum height: up to 3 m

This striking shrub is, in a sense, a blue miracle from afar. Even from a distance, the blue bean-like fruits make an unusual impression. Inside the pods, the gardener will find a jelly-like pulp whose sweetness is hard to beat. One of the best things about Decaisnea fargesii is that it is not particularly demanding when it comes to soil.

Note: Although the blue pod shrub is a hardy exotic species, young plants should be protected from frost during the first few years.

2. Climbing sea buckthorn

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: berries
• Maximum height: up to 2 m

This plant originally comes from Asia, but it has adapted extremely well to the European climate. It is especially popular as a hedge plant. The bright red berries that hang from its branches from summer into autumn are related to goji berries and are said to have similarly beneficial qualities. Dried, they can be used very nicely in tea.

3. Strawberry tree

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: red berries reminiscent of strawberries
• Maximum height: 2.5 m

Yes, the strawberry tree can also grow as a tree. Arbutus unedo produces fruit that is just as tasty and sweet, and it can even be eaten with the skin on. Once the gardener has picked the red berries from the branches, this exotic tree continues to add colour to the garden, thanks to its evergreen leaves.

Tip: If space in the garden is limited, it is advisable to keep Arbutus unedo in a container. In this form of cultivation, it will naturally stay smaller.

4. Pomegranate

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: apple-like fruit
• Maximum height: up to 2 m

At first glance, it is hard to imagine that the delicate branches of the Russian pomegranate are capable of producing so many delicious fruits. But this plant is stronger than it looks. It not only bears tasty fruit, but is also hardy down to -18°C.

Tip: In the first few years, it is advisable to keep Punica granatum in a container. Only later should it be planted outdoors, once it is established enough to be fully hardy.

5. Japanese oleaster

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: fruit stems
• Maximum height: up to 10 m

This remarkable tree may come from Asia rather than paradise, but its fruits win over many gardeners with their flavour. The unusual part is that it is not the fruit itself that is eaten, but rather its stems. They have a wonderfully sweet taste, often compared to a mix of nuts, raisins and candied fruit.

Tip: These fruiting stems keep well and become even sweeter when dried.

6. Caucasian persimmon

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: plums
• Maximum height: up to 5 m

While other exotic garden plants go dormant in autumn, the hardy lotus plum really comes into its own at this time of year. It is only toward the end of the season that it develops its orange fruits, which are related to dates and Sharon fruit. These change from a reddish tone to a deep blue-black and then have very soft skin and wonderfully sweet flesh. Gardeners tend to harvest them often, and with good reason. Since the plums grow to only about 2 cm, regular picking is almost part of the pleasure.

Note: For the best flavour, the fruit should be allowed to ripen fully. When unripe, it still tastes rather tart.

7. Chinese magnolia vine

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: spherical berries
• Maximum height: up to 3 m

Schisandra is a true rarity in European gardens. Its berries are similar in colour and size to local currants, and they hang in clusters from the branches. In Russia, the plant is known as Limmonik, a name inspired by its citrus-like flavour.

In Asia, the fruit is described very differently. There, Schisandra is often called Wu Wie Zi, which means “fruit of five flavours.” According to that tradition, the berries are said to taste sweet, sour, bitter, hot and even salty. The only way for a gardener to know whether this is true is to grow the fruiting shrub in a kitchen garden and taste it directly.

Asian tradition does agree on one point: according to traditional Chinese medicine, where a meal is considered complete only when it contains all five flavours, schisandra berries are also believed to have healing properties.

8. Paper mulberry

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: exotic berries
• Maximum height: up to 5 m

The paper mulberry brings together many uses in a single plant. Its unusual name already suggests that this is a genuine exotic species, and one that is hardy as well. Its bark is used, for example, to make paper. The fruits have perhaps the most extraordinary appearance of all. Gardeners may imagine the orange globes as an upside-down fig.

The taste, however, is much sweeter than that of the “fruit of paradise.” It also has subtle mulberry notes. To eat the fruit, the gardener sucks on the little pellets. There is one surprise that may not be obvious at first glance: the fruits contain small seeds that add an extra crunchy texture.

Note: The inside of the fruit has the best texture when it is overripe.

9. Western sand cherry

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: cherries
• Maximum height: up to 1 m

The western sand cherry made its way from America into German kitchen gardens and is especially popular because it is completely hardy. Its connection to the familiar cherry is easy to see. The bright white blossoms are typical, although the leaves are a little longer.

It also has a special advantage: Prunus pumila besseyi bears fruit as early as August. The berries taste like ordinary cherries and look very similar to them as well. Only gardeners with enough patience to leave the fruit until it is fully ripe will be rewarded with a flavour that is said to be faintly reminiscent of dark chocolate.

Tip: The fruit of the western sand cherry tastes excellent when processed into lemonade or jam.

10. Dwarf pomegranate

• Location: sunny to semi-shaded
• Perennial
• Fruit: apple-like fruit
• Maximum height: up to 1 m

If you do not want to give up fruit or ornament in a small garden, the dwarf pomegranate is the right choice for a hardy exotic plant. The fruit that appears in autumn is in no way inferior to the larger form in sweetness or juiciness. In addition, the gardener can enjoy its bright red flowers in summer. Punica granatum ‘Nana’ is especially attractive as a container plant.