Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Description:

An attractive fruit tree producing bronze-red new foliage that matures to handsome, dark glossy green, on a rounded canopy; panicles of small yellow flowers in spring, followed by clusters of delicious fruit in early summer; a great specimen tree

Edible Qualities

Kwai Mi Lychee is a medium-sized tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces red round fruit (technically 'drupes') with white flesh which are typically harvested when mature. The fruits have a sweet taste and a fleshy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Preserves
• Juice-Making

Features & Attributes

Kwai Mi Lychee features showy panicles of yellow flowers hanging below the branches from early to mid spring. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The large serrated oval pinnately compound leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy red drupes carried in abundance from early to mid summer.

This is a multi-stemmed evergreen tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned in summer after the leaves have fully developed, as it may 'bleed' sap if pruned in late winter or early spring. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Kwai Mi Lychee is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Kwai Mi Lychee will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This tree is quite ornamental as well as edible, and is as much at home in a landscape or flower garden as it is in a designated edibles garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Kwai Mi Lychee is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.