Arbutus unedo rubra is no longer available.
Arbutus unedo rubra is a small evergreen tree with pink flowers and distinctive bright red fruits. Panicles of pink, urn-shaped flowers appear in autumn at the same time as the fruits from the previous year ripen to a bright red colour. The fruits are around 2cm in diameter and resemble strawberries in appearance.
The leathery green leaves and textured reddish-brown bark remain features all year round. Holding the RHS Award of Garden Merit, Arbutus unedo rubra is an excellent small tree for adding year round interest to the garden. Expect a height and spread of 5 x 4 metres in 20 years when planted in full sun. For a white flowering version of the Strawberry tree, see Arbutus unedo.
AKA Arbutus unedo f. rubra, Pink Strawberry tree
Our pot grown Pink Strawberry trees can be planted at any time of year. Choose a sunny planting position and remove weeds and grass within a metre of this. Dig a square hole as deep as your root mass and approximately 2x as wide. To help the tree establish more effectively, sprinkle root grow in the hole.
Remove the pot, gently loosen the roots and place into the planting hole. Mix 50% of the original soil with 50% compost, fill in the hole and firm around gently. Avoid banking the soil up around the collar of the tree. We recommend planting Pink Strawberry trees with a stake and tie kit - instructions are in the planting guide.
If you’re planting Pink Strawberry trees in spring or summer, water well for the first few months. Increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If planting in autumn, you may only need to water a little.
Once planted, keep the area free of competing weeds and grass for the first couple of growing seasons and if your area is prone to rabbits, use a rabbit guard. Our complete planting kits contain an irrigation system, weed suppressing mulch mat and rabbit guard, as well as the rootgrow and staking kits mentioned above.
Pink Strawberry trees do not require a lot of pruning. Simply remove any dead, diseased or awkwardly placed branches as and when you see them.
1 small tree (most under 1.5 metres in height) : £9.95 + vat
1 medium tree (most 1.5-2 metres in height) or 2-4 small trees: £11.95 + vat
2+ medium trees or 5+ small trees: £14.95 + vat
1-4 trees delivered by pallet to kerbside (inc. mature Japanese Maples): 24.95 + vat
Mature trees, pleached trees or orders too large for pallet: Cost is calculated in the checkout process and varies by postcode not quantity. Starts from £48 + vat.
The above prices exclude the Scottish Highlands, where delivery starts from £24.95 + vat and is calculated in the checkout process. Please note, we are unable to deliver outside of Mainland UK.
All trees are carefully packed by our experienced team and most are delivered within 3 weeks of placing the order, unless stated otherwise. There's no need to be in to receive your order and you can request where it is left via the checkout.
For pleached and mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height), we group orders together by geographic area for specialist delivery - we will contact these customers about the delivery date.
Trees on pre-order are still growing and an estimate of when they will be ready is on the product/basket page. Orders are despatched once all trees are ready.
Gift trees and those required by a specific date can be accommodated with pleasure, although we accept no legal responsibility for late deliveries.
To collect trees, please book an appointment. Delivery charges will be refunded.
The product table at the bottom of the page gives the forms and sizes available for this variety. Please note, photos are a guideline as all plants are unique. Below are definitions of terms:
Supplied Size: Height measured from the top of the pot.
Single Stem / Pruned and shaped: Classic shaped tree with a single stem that has had pruning to help create a beautiful, natural shape.
Top grafted: A height noted next to this form refers to the length of clear stem, which will not grow taller. Only the head of branches will develop. Top grafted trees do not require complicated pruning and are ideal for small spaces.
Feathered: A feathered tree has branches from the bottom of the trunk all the way up. These branches can be removed if a clear stem is required.
Multi Stem: A multi stem tree has two or more stems arising from or near ground level, growing from one root system.
Bush: A plant with many stems low down, rather than one clear stem.
Clump: Several plants in one pot that can give the appearance of a multi stemmed and very bushy tree.
Climber: A plant that is a natural climber and will be delivered usually running up a bamboo cane, ready to position in the garden.
Standard Tree: A more mature tree with an upright clear stem of approximately 1.8m-2.0m (measured from the soil to the lowest branches of the crown). Standards are available in different forms relating to their girth size (circumference of the stem measured 1m above soil level), not height:
Standard either 6-10cm or 8-10cm girth, approximately 2.5-3.0m in height
Premium Standard 10-12cm girth, approximately 3.0-3.5m in height
Heavy Standard 12-14cm girth, approximately 3.5-4.5m in height
Extra Heavy Standard 14-16cm girth approximately 4.0-6m in height
