Feijoa

Feijoa 'White Goose' (Acca sellowiana 'White Goose') is the plant for gardeners who want a hedge and a harvest from the same strip of ground. It grows about 3m tall and 2.5m wide, carries grey green foliage that clips into a dense screen, and follows its red and white flowers with sweet, pineapple flavoured fruit in autumn. It is self fertile, so one plant crops on its own.

Why you'll love it

• One plant is enough. Self fertile, so it sets fruit without a partner. Expect the first feijoas within 2 to 3 years.
• A hedge you can eat. The dense foliage takes clipping well, so it works as a 2m to 3m screen that also fills a fruit bowl every autumn.
• Flowers with a party trick. The red and white blooms have sweet edible petals, and the birds visit them eagerly.
• Coastal tough. Salt tolerant, wind tolerant, frost hardy and drought tolerant once established. Few fruiting plants take this much exposure.
• Low maintenance. A yearly feed, a mulch and a trim after harvest keep it productive.

Where it works best

Edible hedging and screening. Plant 1.5m apart for an edible hedge that closes into a solid screen. Clip lightly and you keep most of the crop.

Coastal gardens. It shrugs off salt wind that burns softer fruit trees, so it suits exposed coastal blocks.

Feature planting and pots. A single plant makes a handsome small feature, and it crops in a large container on a sunny patio.

Growing Feijoa 'White Goose' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the best crop; it grows in part shade but fruits more lightly. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean climates, and it is frost hardy through cold inland winters. Only the wet tropics do not suit it.

Soil. Any free draining soil, from sand to improved clay. Work compost through the bed before planting and mulch to 75mm, kept clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first summer. Water matters most while fruit swells in late summer and autumn. Feed with a fruit tree fertiliser in early spring and again after harvest.

Pruning. Trim hedges lightly after harvest. Heavy clipping trades fruit for formality, so prune only to shape and to let light into the centre.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Feijoa 'White Goose' as an established 5L plant, well branched and ready for a bed or a larger pot. It settles in over its first season and typically carries a first light crop within 2 to 3 years.

Plants are packed to travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full fruit tree range
• Planting tips for fruit trees in every season
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• Brown Turkey Fig, another self fertile backyard cropper

Common questions

Do I need two feijoas to get fruit?

No. White Goose is self fertile, so a single plant sets fruit on its own. Bees working the flowers still help, so an open sunny position crops more heavily.

When is the fruit ready to pick?

Autumn. Feijoas drop when ready rather than colouring up on the branch. Give the plant a gentle shake, collect what lets go, and check the ground every day or two.

Can I hedge it and still get fruit?

Yes, within reason. Clip lightly once a year after harvest and the plants keep most of their flowering wood. A hard formal trim several times a year gives a neater face but a much smaller crop.

How does it handle frost?

Very well. It is frost hardy and suits cool temperate and inland gardens where many subtropical fruits fail. Give young plants a season to establish before their first hard winter.