Hi All! Would just like some advice/opinions as to whether an arbutus unedo (strawberry tree) would be ok for a smaller garden, I would be growing it as a tree rather than a shrub
My neighbour planted one about 15 years ago. It's now about 8-9ft tall and around 8ft across. Theirs has about 4 main stems coming from the ground. Most summers many of its leaves drop during the annual drought, but it seems to come through every year.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I have a mature specimen which is a shrub rather than a tree, about 4 metres tall and 3 metres wide, so smaller than an apple tree. My garden is about 25 metres long. I don't see any problem.
An excellent small tree or large shrub which responds well to pruning if needed. Nice dark leaves and attractive bark, plus the blackbirds like the fruit. I have one growing in light shade on dry sandy soil so it is quite forgiving too!
The fruits are edible to humans too, if you wait till December to give them plenty of time to ripen. They taste like strawberries, with a slightly gritty texture, but you would not grow it for the fruit.
It is evergreen and has a fairly dense blobby habit that can create a gloomy look. I planted mine a bit too close to the house. At first I tried to open it up, but that did not really work - I took it out in the end. In a small garden I would prefer a tree with a more open habit such as Amelanchier, Acer palmatum, a snakebark maple et cetera.
Thank you all! I am getting an amelanchier too but I wanted something evergreen as well for the birds, as I’m replacing a giant evergreen shrub. That I can prune it to keep it a good shape/size appealed to me as well, and more food for the blackbirds!
I bought a small - under 3 foot - specimen last autumn with birds and wildlife in mind. I also needed some screening and wind protection. In the last few weeks it has grown new stems and leaves. The leathery dense leaves remind me a bit of those of Portuguese laurel. Mine is still in a (larger) pot - I cannot quite decide where to place it. Mine is too young for fruiting and flowering. Do you need it to do that soon? If so, I would recommend a mature specimen - I wish I had checked that first!
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@clematisdorset it will be ok if it takes a few years to get going, the amelanchier I’ve bought is massive and quite mature, plus we already have another in the garden so there’s some cover there. I’ve ordered a 150-200cm tall one so should be just taller than the fence
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It's now about 8-9ft tall and around 8ft across.
Theirs has about 4 main stems coming from the ground.
Most summers many of its leaves drop during the annual drought, but it seems to come through every year.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.