Plant Min Zone: 5a
Plant Max Zone: 9a
Sunlight: Full Sun
Water / Rainfall: Average
Soil Quality: Average, Rich
Bloom Season: Summer, Late Summer
Flower Color: Purple
Berry / Fruit Color: Red, Orangish Red
Spring Foliage Color: Green
Summer Foliage Color: Green
Fall Foliage Color: Green, Brown-Beige
Evergreen Foliage: No
Winter Interest: No
Scented Flowers: No
Drought Tolerance: Medium
Wet-Feet Tolerance: Medium
Humidity Tolerance: Medium
Wind Tolerance: Medium, High
Poor Soil Tolerance: Clay Soils, Rocky Soils, Alkaline Soils (high PH)
Height: 3' - 5'
Width: 3' - 5'
Growth Rate: Medium
Service Life: Medium: 3-5 years
Maintenance Need: High
Spreading Potential: Medium
Yearly Trimming Tips: Trim Shrub to Desired Size in Late Winter or Early Spring Before New Growth: Blooms on New Wood.
Plant Grouping Size: Small Grouping of 3-5
Best Side of House: South Exposure, West Exposure, East Exposure
Extreme Planting Locations: None
Ornamental Features: Easy to Eat Edibles
Special Landscape Uses: None
Possible Pest Problems: None
Plant Limitations: Lack of Ornamental Features, Needs Frequent Pruning / Trimming
Gogi berries (Lycium barbarum) have purple flowers in mid-summer develop into jewel-like red fruits that are bitter and tomato-like when fresh but turn sweet when set out to dry for a week or so. Very high yielding, especially in alkaline soils. Sweet Lifeberry Gogi Berry (Lycium barbarum 'Sweet Lifeberry') was selected for its extra-sweet fruit which makes for easier harvesting. Maintenance Notes: Does best in well-drained neutral to slightly alkaline soils. At planting time, sink a 1x1" wood stake near the plant and bundle the canes around it. Let the tips of the stems cascade down, like a fountain. Each spring, move the tied point up further along the stake so that about one-quarter of the growth is above the tie. Then cut the branch tips back by 4-6". This encourages lateral branching, which is where most of the flowering and fruiting takes place. Grow superfruit in your own backyard! Fruits become especially sweet when dried. Goji berries are easy to grow in full sun, although some staking is recommended for maximum access to the nutrient-rich fruit. A pollinator is not needed. In Eastern Kansas, typically our 40 inches of rainfall is sufficient without extra water. All Proven Winners® plants are legally propagated, healthy and vigorous, true to name, and tagged with color pictures and growing information.