Is anyone growing a Goji Berry bush?

[21again]

I bought a Goji berry plant from Aldi last year and although it says they are evergreen it lost all of its leaves and seemed to die down over winter.

It has emerged over the last week or so and is growing quite quickly now.

They are supposed to be hardy and can withstand temps of -15 so I don't know why it looked like it had died a death, I was going to bin it the other week as I thought it was totally dead.

Has anyone else had the same experience with their young plants?

[Mrs Jackson]

Mine's about 2 years old now and loses its leaves every winter. I'm fairly sure the wild plants down the road from me lost all their leaves too.

Mrs J

[21again]

Mine's about 2 years old now and loses its leaves every winter. I'm fairly sure the wild plants down the road from me lost all their leaves too.

Mrs J

Thanks Mrs J, it's a good job I didn't sling it then!

[21again]

Mine's about 2 years old now and loses its leaves every winter. I'm fairly sure the wild plants down the road from me lost all their leaves too.

Mrs J

Will this year be the first that you will have fruit from it (hopefully)?

[Flummery]

I've got two the neighbour gave me, from seed. I must check on them. They are tucked away somewhere in pots.

[Mrs Jackson]

Will this year be the first that you will have fruit from it (hopefully)?

No idea! I'll wait and see what happens I guess

Mrs J

[purplekat]

I've got a couple I planted from seed about 3 years ago, not had any fruit yet so don't know how long they take. They're looking a decent size now so hopefully this year

[Guttata]

I got mine from Aldi last year. It dropped all its' leaves over winter but is looking all fresh and green now with new shoots popping out here, there and everywhere.

I thought they were evergreen too, I have even read of them as being evergreen but a friend told me they were deciduous and it looks like he was right. I wonder if it is something to do with climate or even variety?

[Brengirl]

I have bought Gogi berries before. The berries are so bland I wondered why anyone bothered to grow them. They must have something going for them - what is it?

[Guttata]

They're meant to be one of the "super foods". They are also called "wolfberries" apparently:
Wolfberry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Madasafish]

Mine is 3. Grown from seed. Now I have stopped the cows from eating it by adding netting to the cast iron railings, I may see berries. Or not...

[21again]

I have bought Gogi berries before. The berries are so bland I wondered why anyone bothered to grow them. They must have something going for them - what is it?

I haven't got a clue what they taste like as I haven't even tried the dried ones.

You know what it's like though, you see an unusual cheap fruit bush in Aldi or Lidl and you just have to buy it! (Well I have to anyway)

[WrexTheDragon]

I have been growing them for a few years and have taken cuttings this year to see how easy they grow from them. So far so good.

The fruit tastes like a cross between a date/prune.

They loose all the leaves each year and look like grey sticks. A good idea to trim these. Mine do get a bit of mildew late on in the year.

Lovely flowers, see my avatar.

[21again]

I have been growing them for a few years and have taken cuttings this year to see how easy they grow from them. So far so good.

The fruit tastes like a cross between a date/prune.

They loose all the leaves each year and look like grey sticks. A good idea to trim these. Mine do get a bit of mildew late on in the year.

Lovely flowers, see my avatar.

Just googled this pic, they do look quite nice.

[Torreya]

Just come across the thread.
We had Lycium barbatum 20 years ago, WAY before it was popular as "Gojiberry". Back in those days its common name was "Duke of Argyll's Tea Tree". It never really took off in the nursery trade as it was such a spindly, nonentity of a plant. The flowers were 'nice', but nothing to write home about, and it didn't like :cold, damp, frost, too much hot weather...... in other words, there were more 'worthy' plants. I wonder if the same thing will happen this time around?