Q I always see unusual offerings in the seed catalogs -- medlar, Honeyberry, aronia, lingonberry, even something called Pavement roses. They all sound too good to be true. How good are they? Would they really do well in Minnesota?

A You should take some of the claims for extraordinary and unusual plants with a grain of salt. As with most things in life, if they sound too good to be true, they are -- at least for our climate.

Medlar, a popular fruit in Middle Eastern cultures, isn't well known here. Its scent has been described as musky and its flavor complex. Although medlar trees are usually rated hardy only to zone 6, there is a variety with smaller fruit that's said to grow in zone 4. If you want to try one, it's probably best to plant it on a protected site.

Honeyberry is the name given to an "edible" honeysuckle. (Technically speaking, all honeysuckle berries are edible, but most of them taste awful.) Honeyberry fruits are similar to blueberries, but even the edible ones aren't as sweet nor as tasty. Why not just grow Minnesota-hardy blueberries?

Lingonberries can take our cold winters, but the plants need extremely acidic soil -- even more than you'd need to grow blueberries successfully. A University of Minnesota horticulture student tried growing lingonberries as part of her graduate studies. Her conclusion? They aren't suited to our area.

Aronia, on the other hand, is an attractive native shrub that grows well here and produces small, nearly black berries. The berries are touted for their nutritional value. The only problem is you'd have to plant an awful lot of shrubs to get enough fruit to make much juice, syrup or jam.

But Pavement roses are another story. Most of this series of rugosa roses are rated hardy to zone 3, which includes all of northern Minnesota. Aside from being super-hardy, their rough (rugose) foliage is also quite disease-resistant. So as roses go, they're pretty care-free.

Pavement rose blossoms are intensely fragrant, and they may re-bloom later in summer after the initial spring flush of flowers. Among the more commonly available cultivars are 'Purple Pavement,' 'Snow Pavement' and 'Dwarf Pavement,' a short shrub rose with bright pink blooms.

Deb Brown is a garden writer and former extension horticulturist with the University of Minnesota. To ask her a gardening question, call 612-673-7793 and leave a message. She will answer questions in this column only.