Diary of a weekend gardener

In praise of rowans

Some trees have a fleeting week of glory, only to fade into anonymity for the rest of the year. The rowans deliver all year round for me, starting with tresses of white flowers in April/May. Delicate, shapely leaf cover takes over until August when the berries start to colour up. But their peak moment is in autumn, when the leaves turn and the whole tree becomes an eye-catching two-tone delight. In a good year, the berries will last all winter, providing colour and essential bird food till February.

I have two; Sorbus 'Joseph Rock' and Sorbus hupehensis. At college there is a beautiful Sorbus vilmorinii with lovely purple and white berries. When we move there will definitely be a place for a few more.

Sorbus hupehensis. These vary quite widely apparently - some have quite pink berries. The leaves last longer than any of the others, often well into December.

Sorbus vilmorinii - I missed the leaves but it's still lovely with just berries.

Sorbus 'Joseph Rock'

posted by Sue Beesley @ 9:21 am