I get the Latin names confused. I like the common names!
It’s easy to remember here is the trick-
Arctic kiwi- grows in the Arctic! How cool is that? That’s an easy name to remember.
Hardy kiwi- if put to the rest of a real winter they die. They aren’t hardy at all. Hardy kiwi aren’t hardy. See- easy to remember! A better name would have been “temperate kiwi” or “Willamette Valley hardy”.
I had mine planted in full sun and they turned black and wanted to die. I moved them to a shady location behind the house that gets very little direct sunlight and they bounced right back. That’s just one experience from one grower with a few plants so don’t take that as a permanent rule, but it seems like they prefer at least some shade.
I think they originally came from the Soviet Union / Russia. You can buy them in US, Canada, and in Europe. I’m sure they have made it to other places as well.
Arctic kiwi aka actinidia kolomikta require part sun/part shade and prefer soil that is high in organic matter which is moist with decent drainage. Mine get a maximum of 5-6 hours direct sun and I mulch heavily around them
For my region Kolomitka proved less reliable than Argutas because they flower a week earlier or so. Not much difference between them as far as the qualities of fruit are concerned- each has some excellent cultivars. Argutas are more work because they are more vigorous.
What do you do with so many?
I sell some, freeze some, fruit leather
I see where you’re coming from and I’m not saying you shouldn’t call it that, but arctic kiwi (if we’re referring to actinidia kolomikta here) at it’s northern range grows in the Russian far east. Amur region in particular which lies at the 50th parallel north, a latitude similar to Normandy in France or Vancouver island in Canada, so quite far from the arctic, hence the misnomer.
If the name implies it can be grown in the arctic, that isn’t exactly true either. I live a few hours drive south from the arctic circle so techically at the sub arctic and I know I can’t grow it well here, if at all.
I hate to be such a nitpicker sometimes but I just wanted to convey my confusion on the nomenclature. (And I blaim my as of yet undiagnozed add, that might have something to do with the pedantism. I only do this with plants though because I care about the matter.) 
In my language they’re often referred to as mini kiwi, which isn’t official either and I have nothing against that either.
The official name in my language for aktinidia kolomikta is something like Chinese variagated-leaf hardy kiwi and for actinidia arguta Japanese variagated-leaf hardy kiwi. Both names are in common use and tell me what I’m dealing with. (Japanese hardy kiwi, ocean climate, less hardy. Chinese hardy kiwi, continental climate, more hardy)
So when I see arctic kiwi sometimes referring to both species I don’t automatically know what we’re talking about. I’ll take it to mean aktinidia kolomikta from now on, but I felt I needed to elaborate how the latin names leave less room for confusion, especially for us non native english speakers.
I agree with you, it’s 100% a good idea to use official specific epithets for clarity. In English language “Arctic Kiwi” only refers to Actinidia kolomikta. Any use of the name to refer to A. arguta is simply an error from people who are not very familiar with them. Of course those same people who would make that error may also use the wrong specific epithet when referring to one or the other species. Unfortunately, there will always be some confusion because there will always be people who don’t have enough familiarity to know the right names to use. That is why it’s good to clarify (which you did).
Oh my word. What now?
I’m assuming the varieties you started with were hardwood cuttings. How did you handle them to get them to root?
Interesting. It’s too cold for them? Poor summers? All growing conditions are local. I know kolomikta is grown around Fairbanks.
The varieties I have in my trial vineyard were started from both hardwood and softwood cuttings, in general kiwi is quite easy to root, similar to figs or grapes. I make sections consisting of 2-4 nodes and stick into potting medium then place into a shaded and protected area of my yard
Probably a combination of short summers and cold winters. I don’t personally grow arctic kiwi and don’t know of anyone who does so I’m only referring to official zone recommendations here. One that I read today said it’s not really recommended this far north, but does grow just “fine”. I don’t know if that means it has trouble fruiting or what but it’s just not grown up here. Well, according to those same zone recommendations I’m not even supposed to grow oaks here and they survive just fine.
Fairbanks has a near identical latitude and even crispier winters so maybe it comes down to planting location and cultivar selection. All breeding here is centered around the south coast and they aren’t too interested in acquiring new varieties for us northerners.
I have two Dumbarton Oakes hardy kiwi vines (one male, one female) on the south side of my house that I’ve probably had for 5-6 years now, and I’ve never seen a flower, let alone a fruit. It gets down to about -15 C at the coldest here in the winter, and there’s always plenty of green growth, but never a flower. Does anyone have any idea what I’m doing wrong? Thanks
Share pictures please. FYI, the male would not be ‘Dumbarton Oaks’ as that name belongs to the female cultivar only. They are also Actinidia arguta not arctic kiwi (A. kolomikta).
Apparently the arguta kiwi can take 10+ years to start flowering. Give it another 5 years.
