Pvel - Welcome to Gardenweb! Glad you found the Ozarks forum.

I'm even further north than you are so pomegranate is likely not something I could grow here. I've read a little bit about them though and had thought about trying to grow one in a container but I don't think I would ever get fruit.

Some varieties are hardier than others but might be pretty hard to come by unless you find someone willing to send you seeds or cuttings. Here's a link to a post in another forum that mentions some hardy varieties.

Here is a link that might be useful: Where to buy hardy pomegranates

This post mentions some hardy varieties also.

Good luck in your search.
Are you growing other fruit trees?

Here is a link that might be useful: Pomegranates in humid climates

I think you can request unrooted cuttings from this place. I don't know how hard they would be to root or whether you have experience with that but in case you're interested:

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA - Available Pomegranate Accessions

thank you christie for the links. i recently stumbled upon gardenweb while doing an internet search and it is so helpful.
i am mostly a vegetable gardener and am starting to turn my interest to fruit trees. based on the information i have gathered, i will probably order a hardy russian variety from an internet supplier.are you growing any fruit? what city? thanks again. paul

I'm growing a dwarf pomegranate in Central AR. I bought it on ebay last Spring. I can check my records to see what vendor if you need. All the plants I bought from that vendor were in excellent quality. They were all small, starter plants, indicated by SP, and were not at all expensive. So, this plant is quite small now. It grew great the first summer, and I put it in the ground. It survived the winter last winter, although I was wondering a few times. It now has many leaves and is bushy, but a little small still. The green pretty much came from the bottom of the plant; not on the tops of the stems, which may have got bit by the cold? Our lowest temp, I think, was 17 F. When I bought the plant, it was stated to survive zone 7 winters, so I had planned for it to go in the ground the whole time. We also bought another for a bonsai, and left it out all winter, too. Ironically, it did better over the winter despite being in a pot. Either the location was more sheltered, or the one in the ground didn't get settled in as well since I planted it last year in late summer/early Fall. I am happy so far that I am trying this dwarf pomegranate. I think I'd like to try a full size one for the backyard, sometime, too. However, they are 30 dollars or more at the nurseries, albeit they are nice big plants in big pots. If you are zone 7, I'd say give pomegranate a try, esp if you can find one for an affordable price. You can always throw a sheet over it if the temps drop below 10 for the first few winters.

Paul - hope you stick around and let us know how it does. Fruit trees are expensive so I usually look at the catalog and think about it but then don't order any. I do have a few berries and I plant melons every year. I live west of Springfield so it's a little colder here. We often have a night or two below zero in the winter. Late frosts limit what kind of fruit trees do well here too.

I had pomegranates, probably 'Wonderful', at my boyhood home on the zone 7/8 interface. Plants in a somewhat protected site fruited well, but one that was exposed, in the open sustained frequent freeze/frost damage - but the homesite was in a 'frost-pocket'.

Pomegranate cuttings are very easy to root. Dormant collected ones are easiest; summer cuttings need a mist system or at least a 'humidity chamber'(glass jar inverted over them).
I'm trialing a dozen or so varieties right now, and will probably get more from NCGR next winter.
Kazake has shown to be the most cold hardy, thus far - 2 KY winters with little or no dieback. Salavatski & Bala Miursal seem to be in second place - some dieback this past winter, but not killed to ground level, as was the case for most of the others.

I have three pomegranates growing on the east side of my house north of Little Rock. They survived the winter with no problems.They are about 3 years old, about 6 ft tall, and blooming beautifully, but they don't seem to be setting fruit yet. I bought them on eBay and they lived in pots for about a year until I planted them outside. I wish I knew what variety I have--I'm wondering if they may be the ornamental variety--but I've read that it can take up to 5 yrs. to set fruit.

Just found this iink. I'm in Jonesboro too. Have you had any luck with growing poms here? I'm going to track down a Angel Red and give it a try. The description says it's good to 5 degrees so we should be ok.