Duke of Argyll’s teaplant

Duke of Argyll’s teaplant: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Shrub of 1–3 m with long, arching twigs; produces many suckers.

Leaf

Alternate or in small bundles, lanceolate, 2–6 cm, untoothed, greyish-green and hairless.

Twigs

Pale grey, long and arching, often with short thorns.

Flower

Purple, funnel-shaped flowers (1–1.5 cm) with 5 lobes, single or in pairs in the leaf axils, June–September.

Fruit

Elongated orange-red berries (1–2 cm), August–October: the goji berry.

Difference from bittersweet

Bittersweet is a climber with purple flowers with a yellow cone of anthers and oval red berries in clusters; poisonous.

Difference from Chinese boxthorn

Chinese boxthorn has broader, ovate leaves; it is also sold as goji.

Flowering: June–September · Harvest and fruit: August–October · Pruning: February–March

Identify by feature: Orange berries · Thorns or prickles

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara: a climber with purple flowers with a yellow cone of anthers and oval red berries in clusters; poisonous. Difference from bittersweet
• Chinese boxthorn (Lycium chinense): broader, ovate leaves; also sold as goji.

Why grow it?

• Your own goji berries in August–October, fresh, dried or in tea.
• Tough shrub for poor sandy soil, dykes and the coast; tolerates wind, drought and salt.
• Small purple flowers from June to September for bees and bumblebees.

Duke of Argyll’s teaplant: where does it grow best?

• Full sun: that is where it flowers and fruits the most.
• Poor, free-draining soil, preferably sandy; tolerates drought but not waterlogging.
• Allow 2–3 m width, plus room for the suckers.
• Not next to a nature area or dunes: it can escape there.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Dry

Size

2.5 m tall, 2.5 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Sea buckthorn: Also a tough shrub for sand, wind and salt, with orange berries.
• Broom: Yellow flowers on the same poor, dry sandy soil.
• English lavender: Also likes sun and drought; together a summer full of bees.

Good and bad companions

Best kept away from

• Do not plant under the dense crown of these trees: norway spruce, european silver fir, nordmann fir, douglas fir, yew, horse chestnut, norway maple, sycamore

Duke of Argyll’s teaplant: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March; from a pot also later in spring.
2. Space the shrubs 2–2.5 m apart and don’t feed: on rich soil it mainly makes wood.
3. A root barrier or a large tub keeps the suckers within bounds.
4. For the first few years, tie the long twigs to a post or wires: the shrub stays tidy and the berries are easy to pick.

Care

Watering

Only in dry spells during the first year; rarely needed after that.

Feeding

Not needed: it fruits best on lean soil.

Suckers

Dig out the suckers with a spade every spring.

Harvest

Pick the berries when they are fully orange-red and slightly soft; they bruise easily. Dry them in an airy place or in the oven at a low temperature.

Tip: Grow it in a large tub on a sunny patio: you get goji berries without the trouble of suckers.

Duke of Argyll’s teaplant: when to prune it?

Pruning months: February–March.

When: At the end of winter (February–March).

How:

• Thin out the shrub: remove old, dead and overcrowded branches at the base, to let in light and air.
• Shorten long, arching twigs to a strong side branch. The berries form on one-year-old wood: keep enough young twigs.
• Dig out suckers while you are pruning.

Caution: Wear gloves: many twigs have short thorns.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Suckers

In winter, separate a rooted sucker and plant it elsewhere.

Cuttings

Hardwood cuttings of 15–20 cm, pushed into the ground in winter, root easily.

Duke of Argyll’s teaplant: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy, even on the coast in wind and salt.
• On wet, heavy soil the roots can rot in a wet winter: plant it in a free-draining spot.

Diseases and pests

• Suckers and escaping: It produces many suckers and naturalises on sandy soil. Dig out suckers every year and don’t plant it next to a nature area.
• Mildew: A white coating on the leaves in a warm, humid summer. Thin out the shrub for better airflow.
• Aphids: Aphids on the shoot tips in spring. Let ladybirds and tits do their work.
• Few berries: Too much shade or too rich a soil. Give it full sun and no feed; a young plant only crops well after two or three years.

Through the year

• February: Pruning: thin out and shorten long twigs.
• March: Last pruning; dig out suckers; planting.
• June: Flowering begins.
• July: Flowering for bees and bumblebees.
• August: First ripe berries.
• September: Harvest; dry the berries.
• October: Last berries.
• November: Planting.

What can you use it for?

Food and drink

The ripe berries fresh, dried or in tea, as goji berries.

Garden and landscape

Tough shrub for poor sandy soil, dykes and the coast; tolerates wind, drought and salt.

Caution: Produces many suckers and naturalises on sandy soil. A relative of the nightshades: only eat the ripe berries.

Edible and useful

Berries (August–October)

Pick the berries from August through October, as soon as they are bright orange-red and slightly soft. They ripen one after another, so pick again every week. Wear gloves, because the branches are thorny. Ripe berries come off at a light touch: shake them onto a cloth or pick them one by one, because they bruise easily. Leave berries that are still yellow, orange or green on the plant. Use or dry the berries the same day, because they spoil quickly.

Storing

Fresh berries keep for 2–3 days at most in the fridge, so use them quickly. They can be frozen in a single layer on a tray. Keep dried berries in a closed jar, dry and dark. Compote keeps for a few days in the fridge and biscuits for a week in a tin.

Caution: Only eat fully ripe, orange-red berries of the goji bush (Lycium barbarum). It is a plant of the nightshade family: do not eat unripe berries, nor the leaves, flowers and young shoots. Do not confuse the berries with those of bittersweet or woody nightshade (Solanum dulcamara), a poisonous climbing plant with purple flowers with yellow stamens and red, oval berries. Goji is an arching, thorny shrub with narrow, grey-green leaves and purple funnel-shaped flowers. Goji berries can cause allergic reactions: start with a small amount. Do not pick beside busy roads, from sprayed bushes or in nature areas, and never eat anything you have not identified with certainty.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Dried goji berries (Dried · ± 100 g dried · 10 min + 12–24 hrs drying)
• Goji berry tea (Tea · 2 cups · 15 min)
• Goji and oat biscuits (Dish · ± 20 biscuits · 30 min)
• Goji and apple compote (Compote · ± 500 ml · 30 min)

Did you know?

• The dried goji berries in the shops come mainly from the Chinese region of Ningxia, where it has been grown for centuries.
• It belongs to the nightshade family, like tomato and potato.
• According to the story, the English name ‘Duke of Argyll’s teaplant’ comes from a swapped label: in the 18th century the Duke of Argyll is said to have received a boxthorn instead of a tea plant.