Hardy Kiwi, Kiwiberry (self-fertile)
Actinidia arguta Issai
Hardy Kiwi, Kiwiberry (self-fertile)
Actinidia arguta Issai
Ordering in autumn or winter? Many hardy exotics arrive dormant or cut back right now. This is normal, and the best time to plant.
Seasonal by nature: what to expect
- Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
- It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
- Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.
Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons
Actinidia arguta Issai is the self-fertile kiwiberry, a hardy kiwi that fruits on its own with no separate male plant needed. One vigorous vine is all it takes to crop grape-sized, smooth-skinned kiwiberries you can eat whole, skin and all. This is an easy, rewarding edible climber for a warm wall, fence or pergola.
Fully hardy in the UK, Actinidia arguta Issai is a twining deciduous climber that races away each spring to 3 to 5m. Small white flowers open in early summer and are followed by fruit that ripens through autumn. The lush foliage doubles as a fast leafy screen, so it earns its place even before the first crop. For a picture of how hardy exotics settle in season by season, see our hardy exotics what to expect guide.
How and where to grow
- Position: Full sun in a warm, sheltered spot for the best crop; it will take light partial shade.
- Soil: Fertile, moist but well-drained soil, with a wire, trellis or arch to twine up.
- Size: A vigorous twining climber reaching 3 to 5m, easy to keep in bounds with pruning.
- Hardiness: Fully hardy (RHS H5), cropping best in a warm sunny position.
Water well through the first few summers while the vine establishes and again while it is fruiting. Prune in winter to build a framework and shorten long whippy summer growth to keep it productive. As a self-fertile kiwiberry it is perfect where there is room for only one plant, and it is just as at home in a large container as in the ground. Browse more of our hardy exotics, or pair it with other exotic border plants and plants for pollinators whose early-summer flowers the bees will thank you for.
Grown as a fast, leafy climber this kiwi berry plant makes an excellent living screen for privacy, and it happily crops from a big pot for patios and courtyards, so it suits our plants for pots too. Every kiwiberry vine leaves our nursery strong, well-rooted and ready to grow.
Hardiness & Frost
Fully hardy across the UK (RHS H5). The vine is deciduous; late frosts can nip early growth in exposed sites.
Sun & Aspect
Full sun in a warm, sheltered spot gives the best crop; tolerates light partial shade.
Soil
Fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Give it a wire, trellis or arch to twine up.
Watering & Establishment
Water well through the first summers and while fruiting. Prune in winter to a framework and shorten long summer growth.
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No, Issai is self-fertile, so a single plant will crop on its own.
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Like a smooth-skinned mini kiwi, sweet and eaten whole with no need to peel.
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A vigorous twining climber reaching 3 to 5m, best on a wire or trellis where it doubles as a fast leafy screen for privacy.
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Yes, it is fully hardy; a warm sheltered sunny spot gives the best crop.
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Small white flowers in early summer are followed by fruit ripening in autumn, and the blooms are loved by pollinators.
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Build a framework in winter and shorten long whippy summer growth to keep it productive.
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Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.
It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.
If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit. -
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.
If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.
That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look. -
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.
Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.
When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.
We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box. -
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.
Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.
It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.
Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.
Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help. -
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.
During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.
That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.
The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit. Whether grown in our own nursery or sourced from trusted partner growers, every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something isn't right on arrival, we'll make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.
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