Arbutus unedo Tree

Arbutus unedo, known as the Strawberry tree, is a small evergreen tree which produces bright-red fruits in the autumn, along with pendulous clusters of white, urn shaped flowers in November. The fruits are popular with birds and although can be eaten by humans, are unpleasant. With its evergreen bay like leaves and rich terracotta brown, tactile, peeling bark and dark evergreen bay like leaves, the feature packed Strawberry tree is very popular.

Tolerant of pollution, acid and alkaline soils and exposed coastal positions, Arbutus unedo is quite resilient but will prefer a sheltered spot in full sun. This evergreen tree is spreading in form, reaching 5 x 4 metres in 20 years and makes a wonderful addition to smaller gardens and is ideal for screening purposes. We grow the Strawberry tree in both bush and tree forms, the latter makes a makes a good shaped specimen tree.

AKA Strawberry tree, Killarney Strawberry tree, Madrones

• Common name: Strawberry tree
• Latin name: Arbutus unedo
• Height and spread in 20 years: 5 x 4 metres
• Seasons of interest: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
• Foliage: Dark-green, evergreen leaves
• Flowers: Clusters of white flowers from November and bright-red autumn fruits
• Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained sites and most soil types, except chalky

Planting Advice for Arbutus unedo Trees

Our pot grown Arbutus unedo trees can be planted at any time of year. Choose a sunny, preferably sheltered, planting position and remove weeds and grass within a metre. Dig a square hole as deep as the root mass and approximately 2x as wide. Sprinkle root grow in the hole to help Arbutus establish more effectively.

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, taking care not to bank soil up around the collar of the tree. We recommend planting Strawberry trees (not the bush forms) with a stake and tie kit - instructions are in the online planting guide.

Aftercare Advice for Arbutus unedo Trees

If you’re planting Arbutus unedo 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.

Pruning Advice for Arbutus unedo Trees

Strawberry trees do not require a lot of pruning. Simply remove dead, diseased or awkwardly placed branches as and when you see them.

Covid-19: We're pleased to announce that we are back up and running in line with government advice. We have a bit of a backlog of orders and are catching up as we write. Please expect a slightly longer lead time of around 2 – 3 weeks (excludes pre-order and mature trees). Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Delivery Costs

1 small tree (most trees under 1.5 metres in height) : £7.95 + vat

1 medium tree (most trees 1.5-2 metres in height) or 2-4 small trees: £9.95 + vat

2+ medium trees or 5+ small trees: £12.95 + vat

1-4 trees delivered by pallet (inc. mature Japanese Maples): £19.95 + vat

The above prices exclude the Scottish Highlands, where delivery starts from £24.95 + vat and is calculated in the checkout process.

Mature and pleached trees or orders too large for pallet: Cost is calculated in the checkout process and varies by postcode rather than quantity (starts from £48 + vat).

Northern Ireland and Non Mainland UK

Our courier charges are not viable for just one or two trees, but if you have a larger requirement then please do speak to us to see if we can find a solution.

Delivery Timescales

All trees are carefully packed by our experienced team and most are delivered within 10 days of placing the order. There's no need to be in to receive your order and you can request where it is left via the checkout.

There is a slightly longer timescale on pleached and mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height) because we group orders together for specialist delivery - we will contact these customers to notify them of the delivery date.

Trees on pre-order are still growing and an estimate of when they will be ready is given on the basket page. Orders will be despatched when 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.

Our nursery is a busy despatch centre, so please make an appointment to collect or view trees.  For collections, despatch 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