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Plant a goji and leave the vitamin pills behind 💊
Family: Solanaceae · Pot diameter: 19cm · Height: approximately 50cm
Lycium barbarum Princess Tao® ‘FPW03’ turns waiting for a harvest into a lovely summer ritual. Pale-violet flowers and glossy red berries share its flexible branches as flowering continues in successive waves. The goji berries stand out for their sweet flavour, without the pronounced astringency found in other types. There is real pleasure in watching fruit ripen beside you and tasting it fresh, while the plant’s colour keeps the garden interesting well into autumn.
Long, arching branches form airy layers through which the narrow leaves and berries remain clearly visible. Tied to a trellis or horizontal wires, they become a fruiting curtain that softens the appearance of a wall. The open growth brings natural movement to a planting and leaves room to combine the plant with lower companions around its base.
‘FPW03’ stands out for sweet fruit, a long season and easy training on a support.
Flowering progresses towards the tips from May to September and harvest can continue into November.
The glossy red berries are larger than those of many common goji types and can be eaten fresh or dried when ripe.
‘FPW03’ has strong powdery-mildew resistance, without removing the need for air and correct watering.
Why you will love it: It extends picking over many months and turns a simple trellis into a layered fruiting wall.
Plant it against a south- or west-facing wall or on a strong trellis. Allow 2–3m in height and 2–2.5m in spread, tying the layered stems at different levels.
Low flowering clumps keep the base open and echo the purple flowers without tangling into the trellis.
Sun for denser flowering and ripening.
Water deeply when the surface dries; no waterlogging.
Hardy to about −30°C; protect fresh growth from late frost.
Eat only fully ripe, thoroughly washed berries.
Use light to medium, free-draining soil, preferably neutral to slightly alkaline. Prolonged root-zone wetness is more troublesome than moderate dryness.
Water deeply during establishment and when the surface dries during flowering and fruit development. Do not follow a rigid calendar.
The flexible shoots need stakes, a wall or trellis. Tie them loosely at different heights so they do not trail on the ground.
A moderate application of mature compost in spring is usually sufficient. Excess nitrogen produces long soft shoots and a less controlled crown.
Keep the crown clear, remove unwanted suckers low and check that ties do not cut into flexible stems.
Maintain light and air between stems, collect fallen fruit and water the soil rather than repeatedly wetting foliage late in the day.
‘Princess Tao’ is self-fertile and one plant can crop. Insect activity during the long flowering season helps fruit set.
Fruit ripens in succession from July to November, depending on sunshine and climate.
Pick only glossy evenly red berries that detach easily. Use a shallow picking tray so they are not crushed.
Fix taut netting in front of the trellis and check it every day. Avoid loose netting that can tangle in shoots or trap birds.
After planting: tie the main stems loosely to the trellis and let the roots strengthen with even watering.
Late winter, before new growth begins
In late winter shorten the old main shoots to about 20cm above the short trunk. New fruiting growth will start from these low points.
Action: Keep the short trunk and 3–5 main shoots. Tie flexible growth to the trellis instead of cutting it all back.
Retain: Retain enough foliage and length for good establishment and a fan shape.
Action: In late winter shorten the old main shoots to about 20cm above the trunk and remove very thin growth crowding the centre.
Retain: Keep healthy low points that will produce new fruiting growth.
Action: Renew a few old shoots each year and tie the new growth as a fan at different heights.
Retain: Keep the short trunk open, retain 3–5 strong bases and plenty of new growth.
Use sharp, clean tools suited to the diameter of the wood.
Guide and tie rather than repeatedly shortening tips where flowers and fruit progress.
Do not do this: Do not shear the whole trellis horizontally in summer; flowering progresses towards the tips and the next fruit will be removed with them.
The young plant keeps a few main shoots that spread over the support.
Flexible shoots are tied at different heights while flowers continue towards the tips.
The mature plant fills the support with tied new branches and fruit that is easy to pick from summer into autumn.
Princess Tao forms a short trunk and long flexible shoots that spread like a fan over a trellis.
After leaf fall, the short trunk, low bases and winter renewal points are clearly visible.
What to expect after planting: The young plant keeps a few main shoots that spread over the support.
Princess Tao® began in France with FPW Développement’s goji breeding programme. That work produced ‘FPW03’, a selection distinguished by larger, sweet berries without pronounced astringency and a harvest that could continue into late autumn.
The selection combined these qualities with naturally layered growth and powdery mildew resistance. In 2017, SAPHO presented it at Plantarium as Princess Tao®, introducing a French approach to the garden goji. Its parents and the year of the first selection have not been published.
European plant variety protection followed under number 57595. SAPHO continued its introduction, with the same character at the heart of its appeal: sweet berries on a plant with a long season of interest.
Flowers do not open together; they progress towards the tips, explaining why flowers, green fruit and ripe berries can coexist.
The small purple flower does not have five separate petals. Its corolla is joined at the base into a short tube, opening at the tip into five lobes: a characteristic feature of goji flowers.
Six practical answers for choosing, growing, harvesting and pruning this exact cultivar.
No. It is self-fertile and can crop on its own.
Successively from July to November, depending on sun and climate.
It reaches about 2–3m in height and 2–2.5m in spread when properly supported.
Yes. Its naturally layered growth needs a trellis, wall or stakes.
In late winter shorten old main shoots to about 20cm above the short trunk to encourage new growth.
Yes, it shows good natural resistance. Light, air and watering at the root help keep it healthy.
