Loquats are popular here in SC Zone 8, and can readily be found in the Charleston Area. I have a friend here in Orangeburg, who has a tree loaded with blooms right now. She also gets 2 crops a year. I have 2 four footers in pots, that need to be planted in the ground, that I was worried about until she showed me hers. They are not fazed by the frequent frost and freezes we have and are very hardy as Cheryl says. I was advised, by my donor, to plant them in a sheltered area--several feet from the house, for example.

Michelle,

Loquat trees grow in zones 7 - 10 so I bet they will do really well in your area!

An elderly neighbor at our old house had Loquat trees planted all along the fence line between our properties and with dropping fruits we always ended up with seedlings sprouting in the lawn on both sides of the fence! Her mature trees were @ 25 feet in height. The photo below is a tree located in a park in our county. Loquat trees bloom here in late December and January and the fruits appear in late March through April. The flowers are just so-so in appearance but a tree full of blooms is kinda pretty from a distance and the blooms are fragrant! Squirrels and birds love the fruit, especially the Gray Catbird which is a winter visitor here. I've tasted the fruit and it has a pleasant flavor but they are very small and there's not much to them because each little fruit holds a large seed. Years ago I had a coworker who collected the fruits and made loquat jelly which was quite tasty.

Beautiful:)