Broadleaf Evergreens: Arbutus

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Arbutus marina

Arbutus marina is an interesting evergreen which reminds us in many ways of our coastal madrone tree (arbutus menziesii) and the strawberry tree (arbutus unedo) This tree can get 10m tall and has the showy, peeling cinnamon coloured bark and leathery green foliage. Blooms mostly in fall with pendulous clusters of urn-shaped pinkish-white flowers just as the previous years fruit is ripening. Once established, it will need little or no watering in summer.

Arbutus unedo 'Compacta'

Compact Strawberry Bush is a compact version of the strawberry tree . An upright, rounded broadleaved evergreen shrub with lots of white flowers in late fall. They appear as the fruit from the previous year ripens to round, srawberry-like fruit. A colourful display - white flowers and fruit in different stages of ripeness often yellow and red. Rough, brown bark exfoliating to show cinnamon wood. This shrub is drought tolerant once established.

Arbutus unedo

Strawberry Tree is a small round, spreading broadleaved evergreen tree, usually multi-stemmed. It will reach at least 10x10 m in the Mediterranean (it is also native to Ireland!), but it grows much smaller and slower in the Pacific Northwest. White to pinkish, urn-shaped flowers (like blueberry) appear in clusters. Fruit is strawberry-like, but round in shape. Slow to ripen from green to orange-red; they are edible but not very tasty(unedo means "I ate one"only!), although jellies (and liquers) are apparently excellent. The fruit takes almost a year to ripen so it is not uncommon to see flowers and fruit at the same time. Attractive reddish, rough bark on mature trees, which peels to show lighter cinnamon coloured wood underneath.