ZESPRI® GOLD at the front of our house (south facing) May 2010

Your fruit plants look lovely & healthy...whats your secret? Its has to be the temperature Hilda..How wonderful to have grown these fruits, from fruit you purchased from the Supermarket.....: ~ )))

Yes it is. I only hope that this zespri will fruit eventually, because you never know, when you grow it from a seed. I'll keep you posted.
About the temperature: I don't think it's much warmer here than in England, except for the north.

Thanks!!

Our kiwi plants do not seem to suffer from these last cold winters, whereas the fig tree did lose quite some branches through the frost. But twice it has made new shoots in springtime. Luckily for us, for I love it too!

Thanks, for coming back to me with the answer Hilda, after hearing this info.
i may attempt, growing them myself.....: ~))

Success! I love the hairy leaves and the slightly red coloured, hairy vines too! Even without bearing any fruit I would have planted them. We planted them against the wall, where there is a drive-way, so my husband took out only a few stones, and yet it thrives there.

For freesiaperson:
You could try growing a kiwi from seed, just let some seeds dry out for a couple of days on some kitchen paper, then pot them up.
Or buy a plant, they are not so expensive over here. I have the impression that plants and flowers in general are much more expensive in England than in Belgium. We're always amázed of the prices in supermarkets and garden centres in England.
I have just looked it up for you, we payed 9 € (or 13 £ in those days) for 1 Actinidia Chinensis. That's a kiwi. Though I prefer a zespri, or Gold-Kiwi, the ones without hair ;-) That's the reason why I grew one myself. Let's hope it turns out to be a zespri.
I'll keep it posted :-)
Bye for now,
Hilda

I have just googled actinidia, and found this in Dutch (it differed a lot from the English text, so I'll translate what is interesting):
(Tot de soort Actinidia deliciosa worden de variëteiten gerekend met helder groen vruchtvlees en een harige schil. Ook de takken en de bladeren van de planten zijn behaard. De meeste commercieel geteelde rassen behoren op dit moment tot deze soort.
Tot de soort Actinidia chinensis worden de variëteiten gerekend met een vrijwel onbehaarde vruchtschil en vrijwel onbehaarde takken en bladeren. De kleur van het vruchtvlees varieert van geel tot lichtgroen en is bij sommige variëteiten rood gekleurd rondom de kern.)
In short, what it says is that most of the cultivated varieties are the kiwi, the ones with bright green flesh and a hairy skin. The actinidia chinensis (called Gold Kiwi), or zespri, has a hairless skin and hairless branches and leaves.
So hopefully the one we bought is a Gold-kiwi!!
I also found this: Gold Kiwifruit have a smooth, bronze skin, a pointed cap at one end and distinctive golden yellow flesh with a less tart and more tropical flavour than green kiwifruit. It has a higher market price than green kiwifruit. It is less hairy than the green cultivars, so can be eaten whole after rubbing off the thin, fluffy coat. While the skin of kiwifruit is often removed before serving, it is completely edible.
Kiwifruit is a rich source of vitamin C. Its potassium content by weight is slightly less than that of a banana. It also contains vitamin E, and a small amount of vitamin A. The skin is a good source of flavonoid antioxidants.
Kiwifruit is often reported to have mild laxative effects, due to the high level of dietary fiber.