Chilean guava

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; provide afternoon shade in hot climates and shelter from cold, drying winds.

Water

Keep evenly moist but not waterlogged, especially during flowering and fruit development. Water containers whenever the surface begins to dry.

Soil

Humus-rich, well-drained, acidic to neutral soil. Avoid chalky soil and sites that stay wet in winter.

Height

3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m)

Spread

3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m)

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; small, nodding, bell-shaped flowers in white to pale pink.

Foliage

Evergreen. Small, opposite, leathery, glossy dark-green leaves, aromatic when crushed; young growth may be bronze-tinted.

Growth

Slow to moderate

Care needed

Medium

• Pollinators
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.1 ft (0.63 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.5 ft (0.76 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.9 ft (0.89 m)

5. After 5 years

   4 ft (1.2 m)

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Slow

• Water deeply during dry spells; do not let developing fruit or container roots dry out.
• Mulch in spring with leaf mould or composted bark, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Apply a light dressing of balanced fertiliser in spring; avoid heavy feeding that encourages leafy growth.
• Use acidic or ericaceous potting mix in containers with clear drainage holes.
• Protect young plants from hard frost; move pots to a bright, frost-free place where winters exceed its hardiness.

Pruning. Prune lightly in spring after the risk of hard frost, removing dead, damaged and crossing stems. Shorten stray shoots rather than shearing the whole shrub, which can reduce flowering and fruiting.

Pick berries in late summer and autumn when they are deep red to purple, fragrant, slightly soft and detach easily; taste one, as colour alone is not a reliable guide. Fruit ripens unevenly, so pick repeatedly by hand. Established nursery plants usually give their first worthwhile crop about 2-3 years after planting, though seedlings and plants in cool or shaded sites can take longer.

Spring

Plant once severe frost has passed; choose a sheltered position with free-draining soil.

Spring

Remove frost-damaged growth, feed lightly and refresh the mulch.

Late spring

Keep roots moist during flowering and avoid spraying open flowers with insecticides.

Summer

Water during dry weather, checking container plants frequently.

Late summer to autumn

Harvest ripe berries in several passes.

Late autumn

Move containers under cover in cold regions and shelter outdoor plants from drying winds.

• Plant beside a sheltered path where the flowers, aromatic foliage and berries are easy to enjoy.
• Use as a low, informal evergreen hedge around an edible garden; avoid frequent clipping if fruit is the priority.
• Grow in a large container on a sheltered patio, allowing winter protection in colder regions.
• Combine with blueberries and other acid-soil shrubs for an evergreen layer in a small edible border.

Garden styles it suits: Edible landscape, Potager (kitchen garden), Modern courtyard, Cottage garden, Sensory garden and Small-space.

Plant it with: Blueberries, Camellias, Japanese pieris, Heathers and Strawberries.

Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other pollinating insects. Birds may eat the berries; use taut, wildlife-safe mesh if you need to protect the crop.

• Yellow leaves on alkaline soil: check soil pH and grow in an acidic container mix if the ground is chalky.
• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a raised bed or freely draining container.
• Frost scorch and shoot dieback: provide wind shelter and winter protection; remove dead growth in spring after new buds show.
• Poor fruit ripening in cool or shaded sites: give the shrub a warmer, sunnier position and keep it watered through fruit development.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. The ripe berries are edible; safety information for pets eating substantial amounts of leaves or stems is limited.

Where it spreads. Invasive on Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile's Juan Fernández archipelago, where it spreads into native vegetation. Do not plant it there.

• Common myrtle (Myrtus communis)

  Usually has larger, more pointed leaves and open white flowers with conspicuous spreading stamens, rather than small, nodding bell-shaped flowers.

• Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum)

  Has much larger leaves and round fruits roughly 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) across; Chilean guava has tiny leaves and berries generally under 0.5 in (1.3 cm) across.

Ugni comes from a Mapuche name for the plant, while molinae honours the Chilean naturalist Juan Ignacio Molina.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer and root in a moist, free-draining medium under cover. Seed is also possible, but germination can be slow and seed-grown plants vary in fruit quality.

Accepted botanical name

Ugni molinae

Native range

Argentina South, Chile Central and Chile South.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.