Fruity census

I wanted to finish moving the roses today, but first D and I were under instructions to go and look at bathroom wares to try to pin down what we would like. This is important, we're told, so that the plumber actually knows what to do when they get to work on our house. So after dropping SP off to spend the day with her great-grandmother, auntie, and cousin, D and I spent the entire day driving around Adelaide looking at various bathroom and plumbing supply showrooms and shops. By the end of today we found ourselves completely brain-frizzled and blinded by too many choices in chrome. We thought we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted, but we've ended up more confused than ever. I don't think I can look at another tap for a few days or I'll feel slightly ill and in desperate need of a coffee (or a scotch).

But while we were driving around in the car I entertained myself by making a little mental list of the (perennial) fruit plants in our garden so far. It turns out D has been bragging about our garden to people at work! People are apparently impressed, but I wonder if they realise that the biggest of our fruit trees are only three feet tall, and a number of them are as small at eight inches? We are going to be waiting some years for a truly bumper fruit crop, but this is why I planted so many fruit plants straight away: to minimise the waiting.

So, here it is, the Fruit Census so far:

1. Persimmons (1 x Nightingale, 1 x Fuyu) = 2
   
2. Quince (1 x pineapple) = 1
   
3. Plums (1 x Satuma, 1 x Damson, 1 x Wickson, 1 x Santa Rosa) = 4
   
4. Figs (2 x White Adriatic, 1 x Brown Turkey, 1 x Black Genoa, 1 x Diggers' 'Gambler's Choice' ie Unknown!) = 5
   
5. Pomegranate (1 x Wonderful) = 1
   
6. Guava-type fruits (1 x Chilean guava, 1 x Fejoia) = 2
   
7. Passion fruit (1 x banana) = 1
   
8. Kiwifruit (1 x Hayward) = 1
   
9. Apricot (1 x Moorpark) = 1
   
10. Mulberry (1 x black) = 1
    
11. Limes (1 x Tahitian, 1 x Kaffir) = 2
    
12. Lemon (1 x Meyer[?]) = 1
    
13. Currants (1 x black, 1 x white, 1 x red) = 3
    
14. Blueberries (3 plants of which I can't remember the variety) = 3
15. Dragonfruit (1 x pearl which I shouldn't count because I've almost killed it already) = 1
16. Natives (Lilly Pilly, native raspberries and Muntries) = 5

This makes 35 perennial fruit plants in total so far; not too shabby! D and I lay in bed last night while SP was sleeping, talking about our garden (which is how I knew he'd been talking about it at work, and apparently even promoting the cause of heirloom vegetables!), and I got all warm and fuzzy and buzzy as I thought about it. I am so looking forward to watching my dozens of babies grow over the years ahead and eating fruit from them, it's really very exciting!

So what's next on the hit list? Another female kiwifruit or two, a normal passion fruit, sweet apple berry (Billardiera cymosa), maybe a mandarin or cumquat but I'd prefer a calamansi (or calamondin? Some people on the interweb think they are the same thing, and some disagree, which just leaves me confused), and while I'm thinking about citrus these are pretty cool: Released by the CSIRO in 2009, or thereabouts, these new Australian native lime cultivars look pretty fun and funky.

Image from the CSIRO.

Dreaming, dreaming... you can never have too many fruit plants. I wonder if I will say the same thing when we are completely overrun in 20 years?

How many fruit plants do you have in your garden? Do you have room for one or two more?