Arbutus âMarina,â known as the strawberry tree, is a hybrid tree well-known in landscaping. Gardeners enjoy its bark that is striking, evergreen leaves and pendulous clusters of blossoms and fruits that are edible. In visible look it resembles still another well-known addition to the landscape, a connected indigenous of the West-Coast and the relatively greater Pacific madrone.
Classification
The Arbutus encompasses over several evergreen broad-leaf trees from the Westcoast, native to North-America, Western Europe, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean area, of elegance and individuality to South-Western drylands. Several species are called âstrawberry tree,â most frequently A. One of the probably parents of A, unedo. âMarinaâ and a native of southern and western Europe. The specific heritage of the A. âMarinaâ strawberry tree is not known and puzzled by normal hybridizations between Old-World species; it might spring, for instance, from A. x andrachnoides, the naturally-occurring cross of A. unedo and A. Andrachne, the strawberry tree that is Greek.
Description
Particularly big specimens of the tree might reach 40 or 30 feet high, but a lot of them are smaller; the plant is slow-developing, making it a great option for a lot of garden settings. Like Arbutus trees, it sports flashy, orange red bark that peels aesthetically to expose interior levels that are sleek. Its rubbery, rhododendron-like leaves are green, contrasting with the sprays of flowers and red berries and the bark itself. It blooms and fruits through the year, with peak production usually in autumn and spring.
Cultivation
The strawberry tree does well in Sunsetâs Environment Zones 8, 9 and 14 through 24. Plant it in a partly shady or sunny site with excellent drainage; if it languishes in exceptionally moist soil, like other members of the genus, the tree will die or suffer from root rot. Sara Malone suggests staking recently planted, solitary-trunk strawberry trees, especially in wind-prone locations, due to the heaviness of its own evergreen foliage. Keep in mind the tree will generate a good amount of fruit, which can pose a problem if it borders patios or sidewalks.
Native “Strawberry Tree”
The West Coast has its own striking indigenous “strawberry tree” (A. menziesii), although the typical title is Pacific madrone. Indigenous to the coastline, inside valleys, foothills and low-elevation mountain landscapes from British Columbia to Baja California, the Pacific madrone might attain heights of 100-feet as well as a significant girth; the dimensions, frequently twisted type as well as the characteristic peeling orangered bark get this a very amazing tree. Gardeners considering the tree should investigate the probabilities of of cultivating the indigenous madrone. Menziesii is mo Re hard to establish. It prefers sunny and extremely properly-drained websites, attribute of its own native savannas, open woodlands and chaparral, and grows in Sunsetâs Environment Zones 4 through 7 and 1-4 through 2 4.