SENECALIBRARY – AssociationI create a home that is a safe and nurturing place for me, where I am free to gather myself.
post image

Are Strawberry Trees Messy?

Strawberry red fruit, delicate white blooms and shiny evergreen leaves supply year-round visual interest in the landscape. Although a tree that is striking, leaf and copper drop do happen, causing some litter in the landscape. Strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo) thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b through 11.

Leaves

Strawberry trees are broad-leaf evergreens that keep their leaves year-round. The shiny deep-green leaves grow 2 to 4 inches long and are obovate or slightly egg-shaped. Evergreens do not shed leaves like deciduous trees do, but they do drop leaves. At the landscape, strawberry trees will lose a few leaves at a time continuously during the season. To maintain a groomed landscape, strawberry trees need minimal but constant maintenance to keep the place clean of leaf litter.

Flowers and Fruit

A striking characteristic of strawberry trees is the occurrence of flowers and fruit at the exact same moment. The showy white and light pink blossoms blossom in winter, followed by strawberry fruit. The fruit carries a complete year to ripen. From the time strawberry trees flower again the next winter, last year’s fruit is just beginning to turn red. When the fruit ripens and falls in late winter, then they make some mess in the lawn.

Fruit Uses

In the distance, strawberry trees with fruit look like they are filled with strawberries, a likely source for the frequent name “strawberry tree .” Up close, however, the fruit is rounder than a strawberry. The 1/2- to 1-inch-diameter fruit is edible but bland-tasting with just slight sweetness. Harvest the fruit in late winter for preserves, or leave the harvest on the tree to attract birds into the garden.

Care and Maintenance

Strawberry trees grow between 8 and 18 feet tall, forming a naturally uniform rounded contour. With regular pruning, this tree can be grown as a tall shrub. Strawberry trees function well as specimen or accent plants in the landscape or as part of a shrub border or a living hedge. The trees thrive in full sunlight to partial shade and also grow well in clay soil with good drainage.

See related

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • July 2016

Calendar

January 2023
M T W T F S S
« Dec   Feb »
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  

Categories

  • Bathroom
  • Bathroom Guides
  • Bedrooms
  • Budgeting Your Project
  • Coastal Style
  • Color
  • Concrete
  • Decorating Guides
  • Dining Room
  • Doors
  • Eclectic
  • Eclectic Homes
  • Electrical
  • Fireplaces
  • Floors
  • Flowers and Plants
  • Furnishings
  • Furniture
  • Garden
  • Gardening and Landscaping
  • Global Style
  • Halloween
  • Handyman
  • Home
  • Home Cleaning
  • Home Offices
  • Home Painting
  • Hvac
  • Kitchen
  • Kitchen Guides
  • Life
  • Lighting
  • More Room Guides
  • Organizing
  • Patios
  • Remodeling
  • Renting and Tenant Rights
  • Roofs
  • Saving Water
  • Small Bathroom
  • Stone
  • Tile
  • Traditional Architecture
  • Trim
  • Tropical Style
  • Uncategorized
  • Wall Treatments
  • Water Damage
  • Windows
  • Wine Cellars
  • Yellow

Copyright SENECALIBRARY - Association 2025 | Theme by Theme in Progress | Proudly powered by WordPress