Strawberry Tree
Since moving to Washington, I have discovered a great number of new trees. One of my favorites is the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo ). It is a four-season tree with semi-glossy evergreen leaves and lovely mahogany bark. In autumn, clusters of white flowers appear, bearing a resemblance to Lily-of-the-Valley flowers. And then there are the little fruits, which resemble strawberries that appear at the same time as the flowers. I am not sure why, but I have only seen a few fruits on ours. I don't know if birds are getting them before I see them or what happens. The fruits are said to be edible but not very tasty (to humans). This year, our tree is loaded with flowers, the most I've ever seen. Bees absolutely love it and so do the hummingbirds. The flowers usually continue to appear straight through winter, and it can be blooming even during the coldest periods of winter. Aside from the fact that I have not seen much of the colorful fruits, the major negative note is the fact tha
Beautiful, Phillip!! You've inspired me to think about keeping potted plants in the winter as well. Normally I just do veggies or flowers in the Spring/Summer.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful Phillip. A plant I will surely experiment with more.
ReplyDeleteI bought a couple of 6 packs on close out and put them on the patio table & got home late from work a couple of days and the next time I came home during light, they were in fairly sad shaped. I put them in a pan of water & revived them and planted just before my knee surgery. I couldn't cover them during the freeze and thought they had died. Now with the warmer spell they look fairly good, even through the snow we had Thursday. I still around half an inch Friday when I started to work. Mary
ReplyDeleteStarted to pick some up at Lowe's yesterday for a couple planters in front of the house and now I wish I had! Might have to go back now and get some yours look so good! Carol
ReplyDeleteI usually don't mess with them as they don't stand up to our winters for long. I do like them though. Too bad I didn't plant them this year as they would have lasted untilnow. We just went into the deep freeze.
ReplyDeleteI love them and have a dozen or more scattered around with the pansies...
ReplyDeleteI've also had a few disappoint years with kale...but boy, when they are happy they are stunning!
ReplyDeleteHeavy rain this evening; I think my ornamental cabbage, as well as a few other plants I have, are not going to be happy. Yours are beautiful! If it were somewhat cooler, we would be having a blizzard!
ReplyDeleteI just took a shot of this yesterday and couldn't figure out what it was....but your post helped clarify. Thank you. This plant really has nice color.
ReplyDeleteYours look good enough to eat. Luscious!
ReplyDeleteLovely, Phillip. This is the first year I planted these, and I am so pleased with how well they have done.
ReplyDeleteThese will definitely be a repeat.
Jan
Always Growing
Pretty! It looks like a pretty flower. I would really love to plant one of these but it is always a failure. Thank for the great and informative post though.
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