KIWI

A couple of years ago I purchased online 2 kiwi plants; one male and one female. They were just few inches tall at the time. I planted them in small pots. They barely survived the winter. They did take off nicely though in the following spring.

I decided to keep the male kiwi in the big pot and plant the female in the ground. I thought that it would be fun to build a focal point arbor that would serve as a support for the kiwi girl… I named her Betty. The male was named Phil. Yes, I know it’s silly to name your plants...
 

Kiwi vine in her 2nd year.

The kiwi arbor project took 4 weekends. It turned out well. I actually like it more then I thought I would. It’s placed well and makes a good statement as one drives up to the house. There are about 2000 lb of native rocks that mom and I dug up from around the house and stacked carefully on the slope... It was a back breaking job, but the result was worth it.

Betty surely appreciated our efforts to accommodate her; she grew two, luscious and healthy 8ft vines in the first year and several more in her second year. There may be several more years before she will produce fruit, but in the meantime she is a great ornamental focal point that we all enjoy.

The male kiwi is still in the pot, but I will probably plant it in the ground next spring. We’ll see.