Fruit/nuts for Canberra

KitschWitch starts with ...
I'm wanting to add some productive species to the north wall area of the house, which has a small eave. It still gets frost, but I can cover small trees for the first two years or so if necessary.

It can fit maybe 3 more smallish trees, including 1-2 espaliered. Additional smaller bushes would also fit.

So far, in the same area, I'm growing:
Lemon, Meyer and Lisbon
Tamarillo, red
Sweet Granadilla climbing the wall
banana passionfruit climbing the wall

I've tried black passionfruit twice--they are our favourite fruit-- and killed both. Maybe not enough water?

I'd like to use this space for marginal species, since there is plenty of other garden area for frost tolerant species.

I've thought of avocado (Bacon), black passionfruit (try again!), dwarf navel oranges, Tahitian lime, macadamia (too big?) ...?? What else would make good use of this position?

Note that we already have:
apples, blueberries, lots of stone fruit, brambles, black mulberry, pomegranate, fig.

Thanks for any suggestions.

KitschWitch says...
This year was fairly mild as you would know, perhaps -4C was the worst frost. In a cold season we could get -8C once or twice.

But this spot is in front of a north facing brick wall and doesn't get nearly as cold.

The tamarillo was badly hit by frost in its first two winters. This year it was tall enough (right up under the eave) adn not as cold anyway, and it hardly lost any leaves. The previous two winters we've lost all of the leaves and even much of the trunk. But it always reshoots well. This winter it flowered and the flowers are still on. Last year the flowers didn't come on until spring, the fruit set in autumn, and was only ready in late autumn--and it didn't have a lot of flavour.
I'm hoping this this fruiting season will be better due to the earlier flowers. Hopefully the longer ripening time will mean more tasty fruit.

As for the sweet granadilla, I was surprised it survived, but it has and is growing slowly but consistently. Lost of new growth at the moment. I hope it will flower and fruit--time will tell.

Thanks for your tips on fruit to try. Some of those I have already, I forgot them in my list (currants, josta, fig). I have another spot for olives and gooseberries since they will take the cold. Will look up ugni!
Thanks for your tips. And I'm glad to hear your black passionfruit has survived--perhaps I will try again.

In case you're interested, I've been looking at Glowinski's book and am considering some subtropical options: jujube, sapote and cherimoya--all are quite large trees, so I would need to find small/dwarf varieties.

Otherwise I'll go for dwarf oranges and maybe a Tahitian lime.

BJ says...
I guess white sapote is the only sapote to come close to surviving -4 to -8. The only other subtropical I know fruits well in Canberra is Loquat. There were big fruiting trees next to the old hotel a few blocks from the national gallery.

ringelstrumpf says...
Maquie berries. You get them at Bunnings. They have not fruited yet but survived winter in an unsheltered position. They grow very good.
There are two trees that did not survive here even everybody tells they are frost hardy: the ceylon hill gooseberry and the strawberry guava, which survives but does not grow well.

sternus1 says...
Kitsch,

strawberry guava is one of the less nice eating guavas, but is a highly attractive ornamental tree. I suggest china pear over strawberry as the fruit is high quality and it is also a very attractive tree which is easy to keep small. I rate it over the mexican cream.

s

sternus1 says...
Not sure kitsch. I'd drop daleys a message, they usually get back to you the same day.

s

KitschWitch says...
@ringelstrumpf-- my tamarillo is (finally) doing well. It's as tall as the eaves and survived this winter without losing many leaves. Flowers were coming on in winter and weren't frosted off. So now, we have thousands of flowers and hundreds of tiny fruit.

They should have plenty of time to ripen and sweeten before it gets cold next year!

KitschWitch says...
@sssforu

I moved to the Bega Valley a couple of years ago, so I'm not sure how it's doing. When I left it was still growing well but no sign of fruit.

A banana passionfruit nearby took off and thrived. Lots of flowers and fruit (which tasted better than I remembered).

The tamarillo was also a big success. Plenty of fruit each year once it was tall enough to reshoot well after frost.

Hardy kiwi (yum!) and gold kiwi were also doing well when I left, though not old enough to fruit.

When I next visit Canberra I'll stick my head over the fence and see how the sweet granadilla is doing.