Pineapple Guava

{"key":"guava","id":"PLT-ACCA-SELLOWIANA","slug":"pineapple-guava","name":"Pineapple Guava","botanical":"Acca sellowiana","eyebrow":"Evergreen structure with a silver finish","benefit":"Let the boundary do more than hide a fence.","intro":"Silvery foliage and unusual spring flowers give Pineapple Guava a place in the design even when it is not fruiting. Give it a generous footprint first; a narrow hedge or trained tree is a maintenance choice, not its default shape.","h":[10,15],"w":[10,15],"install":[3,2],"maintained":[6,4],"color":"#83917a","habit":"round","light":"Full sun to part shade","lightTags":["sun","part"],"water":"Well-drained soil; water new plants and during extended dry spells.","season":"Evergreen silver-backed leaves; spring flowers; fruit depends on selection and conditions.","care":"Light shaping for a natural form; a tight hedge requires more care.","site":"UF/IFAS recommends this shrub for Florida gardens, including coastal settings with salt spray. For a Pensacola-area yard, check drainage and reserve space for the broad canopy. Spray tolerance is not a promise of survival in storm-surge flooding.","sizeNote":"Use the Florida-focused UF/IFAS range of 10–15 ft high and wide. Narrower descriptions exist in other references; do not use them to squeeze a full-sized shrub into a small bed. The 6 × 4 ft hedge illustration requires continuing pruning.","uses":["Evergreen screening","Silver foliage contrast","Roomy courtyard specimen","Edible-garden backdrop","Informal coastal hedge"],"checks":[["What will fit behind the hedge?","Leave space to reach the fence and maintain the back of the plant. Position irrigation and lighting where they remain accessible as the canopy expands."],["Is fruit part of the brief?","Discuss the exact nursery selection and pollination needs before ordering. Treat a harvest as a separate goal from ornamental screening, with room to gather fallen fruit."],["Where is the clean walking line?","Place fruiting branches over an accessible garden bed, away from steps and busy poolside paving. A useful plant should not create an awkward cleanup corner."],["Natural, clipped or trained?","Choose the intended form before deciding spacing. A trained tree exposes the lower view; a clipped hedge changes the pruning commitment and may reduce flowering."]],"faq":[["Will one plant always produce fruit?","No. Fruiting varies with the selection, pollination and weather. If fruit is important, confirm those requirements with the nursery before buying."],["Is this common tropical guava?","No. Pineapple Guava is Acca sellowiana, also sold under the older name Feijoa sellowiana. Use that identity when matching the plant to this guide."],["Can it be a small hedge?","Yes, with ongoing management. Compare that commitment with a naturally smaller shrub before planning a narrow planting strip."]],"sources":[["UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions","https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/fruits/pineapple-guava/"],["UF/IFAS Growing Feijoa Fruit in Florida","https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1424"],["NC State Extension plant reference","https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acca-sellowiana/"]],"companions":[{"slug":"florida-privet","name":"Florida Privet","title":"Compare a native boundary","reason":"Florida Privet offers a looser native alternative where seasonal leaf loss is acceptable. Compare both before choosing the screen.","image":{"id":"6a9fefd1bc55594ead64b7f7","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefd1bc55594ead64b7f7_landova-privet-context-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Florida Privet"}},{"slug":"coastal-false-rosemary","name":"Coastal False Rosemary","title":"Contrast fine and broad foliage","reason":"Use Coastal False Rosemary in a separate sunny, freely draining foreground, outside the guava’s shade and irrigation pattern.","image":{"id":"6a9fefd2b5d71773d64bf03b","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefd2b5d71773d64bf03b_landova-rosemary-context-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Coastal False Rosemary"}}],"wholeCaption":"Illustrative natural shrub form; a clipped hedge or trained tree will look different.","detailCaption":"Illustrative silver-backed leaves and white-pink flowers with red stamens.","wholeFit":"contain","native":false,"guideKind":"Species guide","aliases":["feijoa","Feijoa sellowiana"],"images":{"context":{"id":"6a9fefd103e01d08cca8eeb2","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefd103e01d08cca8eeb2_landova-guava-context-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative planting concept with Pineapple Guava"},"whole":{"id":"6a9ff11623cbec9ff9f6c15a","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9ff11623cbec9ff9f6c15a_landova-pineapple-guava-form-r07-v2.webp","alt":"Illustrative view of Pineapple Guava overall form","fit":"contain"},"detail":{"id":"6a9fefd191f4916cbcb95fad","url":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6a975baac0f352647862d847/6a9fefd191f4916cbcb95fad_landova-guava-detail-r07.webp","alt":"Illustrative view of Pineapple Guava foliage and seasonal detail"}},"caution":"Natural size is 10–15 ft high and wide. A smaller hedge needs pruning; fruit depends on selection and conditions."}