Rose Apple is an interesting and easy to grow myrtle relative from Southeast Asia, we’ve been growing Rose Apples in greenhouses for many years and they’re one of the least fussy of any sub-tropical tree we grow. Outrageous cream colored myrtle flowers are followed by fleshy fruits that taste like sweet rose water. Widely planted around Southeast Asia and other parts of the subtropical and tropical world, it can be used in various recipes but is unique and delicious right off the tree.

Latin Name: Syzygium jambos
Site and Soil: A variety of soils, but require at least 8 hours of sunlight during the growing season.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fruitful.
Hardiness: Rose apple is hardy to about 30° F.
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting.
Size at Maturity: 10-25 ft in height, smaller with pruning, and much smaller in a container grown in cooler climates
Taste: sweet rose water
Fruit Skin: Yellow with a slight red blush
Fruit Flesh: Yellow
Bloom Time: spring
Ripening Time: September
Yield: 10-15 lbs. or more per plant
Pests & Diseases: Not bothered by pests or diseases in our region.
USDA Zone: 10

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A popular and common house plant, Monstera deliciosa is prized for its highly ornamental fenestrate foliage, but many people don’t know that it also produces an incredibly delicious fruit. A plant doesn’t earn the specific epithet “deliciosa” for nothing, and it certainly lives up to the name! Though it can be difficult to get them to fruit in northern climates, it is possible if the plant is happy enough. Looking like elongated cones from a conifer, the fruit is ready to eat when the hexagonal scales begin to fall off and reveal the fruit inside that looks like a combination of a corn cob and a banana. It is common for people to ripen them in brown paper bags or jars and wait for the scales to fall off. It is crucial that you only eat Monstera fruit when it is perfectly ripe as underripe fruit can cause itching and burning due to the high amount of oxalic acid present in the underripe fruit.

Latin Name:  Monstera deliciosa
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Hardiness: Can be grown where temperatures don’t fall below freezing. If growing in a temperate climate you can grow it in a pot and move indoors for winter.
Bearing Age: 2 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 3-6 ft. in height.
Taste: Tropical, like a combination of banana, mango, passionfruit and pineapple!
Yield: a few dozen fruits on very happy and healthy plants
Pests & Diseases: We’ve not seen them be bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 10a

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A very dwarf form of the classic Cavendish Banana that’s so popular around the world! Very easy to grow so long as you can provide some winter protection for it in climates that receive hard frost. Bananas prefer rich soil in full sun and can take some intense heat so long as they are well watered. In the second or third year you should see the banana plant create its massive flower spike which will turn into dozens of tasty bananas.

Latin Name:  Musa ‘Dwarf Cavendish’
Site and Soil: Banana likes 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Hardiness: We’ve heard reports down to 15ºF, but we’re guessing somewhere around 20ºF might be a safer bet. Be sure to protect it overwinter if cold temperatures are coming your way.
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 7-10 ft. in height.
Taste: Sweet
Fruit Skin: Yellow
Pests & Diseases: Banana is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 9b

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One of the most ubiquitous and treasured spices on the planet, the black pepper is produced on a beautiful perennial vine that is typically grown in subtropical areas, but can also be grown as a houseplant or greenhouse specimen. The large evergreen leaves look right at home next to vining Monsteras or Philodendrons on your windowsill, and the pendulous clusters of fruits that are crushed for their delicious peppery flavor add to the ornamental appeal of this plant. Give it consistent moisture without water logging the roots and keep above 55°. Grows in a variety of light conditions but will need a bright location to produce fruits.

Latin Name:  Piper nigrum
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Hardiness: Can be grown where temperatures don’t fall below freezing. If growing in a temperate climate you can grow it in a pot and move indoors for winter.
Bearing Age: 2 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 3-8 ft. in height, smaller in a pot
Taste: Peppery…
Yield: Depends on how big you let your plant get
Pests & Diseases: We’ve not seen them be bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 12

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The tiniest of any dwarf banana that we’ve seen, the Little Prince is an even more dwarfing mutation of the already dwarf Novak banana, that has all the proportions of a full sized banana at a fraction of the size. Growing only 2-3′ tall and forming clumps, this will make an excellent container plant or a splash of tropical foliage in the understory. We’ve also heard that Little Prince can produce small clusters of bananas that are tasty to eat, but we’ve not yet gotten our plants to fruit.

Latin Name: Musa x ‘Little Prince’
Site and Soil: Banana likes 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Hardiness: Our plants are so far hardy to about 20°F., but we’ve heard reports of 10-15°F. Plants will die back during winter and will usually need to be brought indoors in colder climates if you want them to flower and fruit.
Size at Maturity: 2-3 ft. in height.
Fruit: Possibly producing small tasty bananas
Pests & Diseases: Banana is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 8b

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The Ice Cream banana is one we’ve been trying to get a hold of for years and we’re so excited to finally have a good crop of them to plant out and have here at the nursery. Also known as the Blue Java banana for the uniquely blue color the bananas have before they’re fully ripe, it’s more popularly known as the Ice Cream banana for its fluffy, creamy texture that’s similar to ice cream. Makes a delicious frozen banana puree, but you’ll likely eat them all fresh right off the plant. Said to be hardy all the way to 15º F, but we’re guessing 20º F is more realistic. Certainly doable in our more mild winters or with some added winter protection. Bananas fruit in their second year typically so the plant must make it through the winter without too much damage in order to flower and fruit. We’re crossing our fingers that these will be hardy in the ground here but let us know your experiences with them.

Latin Name:  Musa acuminata × balbisiana ‘Blue Java’
Site and Soil: Banana likes 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Hardiness: We’ve heard reports down to 15º F., but we’re guessing somewhere around 20º F. might be a safer bet. Be sure to protect it overwinter if cold temperatures are coming your way.
Bearing Age: 2 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 6-10 ft. in height.
Taste: Sweet, fluffy, creamy texture
Fruit Skin: Blue-green when ripening, yellow when ripe
Pests & Diseases: Banana is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 8b/9a

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One of the funkiest members of the Solanaceae family, the tree tomato, also known as a tamarillo, is a delicious relative of the tomato from the sub tropics that grows on a woody perennial shrub. Fruits look like an elongated paste tomato with deep red skin and a delicious tangy, sweet orange flesh and a mildly bitter skin. Tamarillos can be eaten fresh or made into salsas and sauces! A very fun greenhouse or house plant, the tree tomato has gorgeous large leaves that add a tropical flare to any sunny patio or sunroom.

Latin Name: Cyphomandra betacea
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full sun in cooler regions, partial shade in hot regions, and well-drained, acidic soil.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fertile.
Hardiness: Hardy to about 25º F., we’ve left them outside accidentally over winter and they handled dips into the 20’s without a problem
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 6-10 ft. in height.
Taste: Tangy, sweet, and mildly bitter
Fruit Skin: Deep Red
Fruit Flesh: Orange
Bloom Time: May-June
Ripening Time: October-November here in Portland
Yield: 5-20 lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Not bothered by pests or diseases aside from occasional aphids.
USDA Zone: 9a

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Grand Nain banana is one of the most commercially popular edible banana varieties and also a very easy one to grow at home! Banana plants, often mistakenly called trees, grow as fleshy herbaceous clumping perennials that are common throughout the tropics and sub-tropics but can also be grown here in the temperate world if given some winter protection. We’ve kept Grand Nain bananas in unheated greenhouses and received fruit the following summer. Few plants are as satisfying to grow, and thrilling to see in flower, as banana plants! The fruits are borne on one giant flower stock and a single stock can give you over 50 bananas! The bananas ripen over a few weeks so you don’t have to worry about eating them all at once. A perfect addition to the tropical garden or sun room if you want some big, bold foliage and delicious fruits too!

Latin Name: Musa acuminata
Site and Soil: Banana likes 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Hardiness: Banana can be grown where temperatures don’t fall below freezing. If growing in a temperate climate you can grow it in a pot and move indoors for winter.
Bearing Age: 2 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 6-10 ft. in height.
Taste: Sweet
Fruit Skin: Yellow
Yield: Over 50 bananas per stock
Pests & Diseases: Banana is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 9b

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One of our favorite tropical house plants and one of the easiest sub tropical fruit trees you can grow in northern climates! Yellow Strawberry Guava is an Eastern Brazil native that grows anywhere from 10-25 feet tall, though much smaller in a pot, and produces an abundance of tender and aromatic yellow guava fruits. Eat them fresh, add them to drinks, jams, ice creams, or anything you want the taste of guava in. Hardy to about 20 degrees so worth a shot in very mild climates, though be careful planting these in the tropics where they have become invasive in many places. Wonderful and easy house plant.

Latin Name: Psidium cattelianum
Site and Soil: Yellow Strawberry Guava likes 1/2 day to full sun in cooler regions, partial shade in hot regions, and well-drained, acidic soil.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fertile.
Hardiness: Hardy to about 20º F.
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting
Size at Maturity: 6-20 ft. in height.
Taste: Sweet, aromatic
Fruit Skin: Yellow
Bloom Time: May-June
Ripening Time: August-September
Yield: 5-20 lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Guava is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 9a

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Native to Surinam and Uruguay the Surinam Cherry Tree is a delightful subtropical treat from the Myrtle family that produces loads of interesting looking ribbed fruits that are incredibly delicious eaten fresh or made into preserves. Surinam Cherry can be grown as a lovely subtropical house plant and brought outdoors for summer or planted in ground where temperatures don’t drop below 20° F. in winter.

Latin Name: Eugenia uniflora
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fertile.
Hardiness: Hardy to 20°F., possibly slightly lower when established
Bearing Age: 1-2 years after planting
Size at Maturity: typically around 6 ft. tall in pots, but up to 20 ft. in ground
Bloom Time: Spring
Ripening Time: late July – early October
Yield: 10-15 lbs. or more per plant
Pests & Diseases: Not bothered by pests or diseases in our region. Cover plants with netting if birds are a problem.
USDA Zone: 9-11

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