What: Arbutus unedo, also known as the strawberry tree, is an easy-to-grow, four-season evergreen shrub with outstanding flowers, funky fruit, glossy green leaves and cinnamon-colored bark.
Why plant it? Its small, urn-shaped, whitish flowers are produced from October to December. Unless winter weather is severe, they develop into round, ¾-inch, knobby fruits that gradually ripen to orange-red throughout the year. It can be used as an informal hedge or sheared for a more formal look. It may also be planted as a focal point, carefully pruned to accentuate the branch structure and bark.
Where: It grows best in partial or full sun and is drought tolerant once established.
How: It tolerates a variety of soil conditions. There are few insect and disease problems, though it can occasionally suffer from aphids. Fungal spotting can occur on older leaves if it is grown in extremely poor soil.
Actual size: It can reach 8 feet high and 7 feet wide in 10 years. Eventually it can reach 20 feet high and wide.
Learn more: See www.greatplantpicks.org.
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