Plant library · Fruit Trees
Acca sellowiana
Pineapple Guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree that can anchor an edible border, screen a boundary, or stand alone as a broad specimen. At roughly 12 feet tall and wide, it carries visual weight through the year rather than disappearing after harvest. Acca sellowiana brings late-spring to early-summer bloom, followed by fragrant fruit in fall, so give it a site that remains easy to reach across both seasons.
Use pineapple guava where a substantial evergreen mass will not crowd a path, window, gate, or smaller planting bed. Its broad, woody form works well at the back of a deep border, along a sunny property edge, or as a single focal plant with open ground around it. It can also be pruned into a dense hedge or trained as a small tree, making it useful beside a wall, fence, or trellis where its outline can be managed deliberately.[1][2]
Set plants 10 feet apart, center to center, for a connected planting rhythm. Each plant may ultimately occupy about 12 feet of width, so allow its mature outline to overlap visually rather than reserving narrow gaps between shrubs. In a specimen position, protect a broad circle of planting space and keep nearby small shrubs far enough out that they will not be swallowed by the expanding canopy. Place paths or maintenance access along the outer edge, not through the intended footprint.
Choose a full-sun position for the strongest flowering and fruiting display. Moderate watering fits a planted shrub border, but the root zone should drain well rather than staying wet. Keep the soil surface mulched and leave a clear watering area around the base instead of packing the crown tightly with thirsty groundcovers or dense edging plants.[1][2]
Late spring through early summer is the showiest flowering window, so avoid placing this shrub where a temporary screen or large neighboring plant blocks its sun at that time. Plan a clear approach for fall fruit collection, especially if it is used as a hedge along a fence. Its evergreen presence also means the mature canopy will continue to cast shade and occupy garden space in winter.
This is a long-lived perennial for USDA Zones 8 through 11, not a seasonal filler for a tight mixed bed. Its eventual 12-foot height and width can dominate a small courtyard or pinch circulation when planted too close to a corner. Choose the permanent structure of the planting early: a broad shrub, a clipped hedge, or a small tree form each needs different clearance around walls, paths, and adjacent plants.
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.