Canary Island Strawberry Tree Arbutus canariensis

The Canary Island strawberry tree is the larger and looser relative of the strawberry tree every nursery stocks, growing genuinely tree-like on an open branched frame rather than as a rounded shrub. Its bark is the point of difference: it flakes away in thin sheets to leave a smooth trunk in cinnamon, rust and pale green that repays uplighting or a plain rendered wall behind it. Drooping clusters of pink flowers through the cooler months are followed by round, warty orange to red fruit.

Sharp drainage, and where not to plant it

This is a Mediterranean-climate tree in origin, so it suits southern and inland Australian gardens with a dry summer, along with coastal sites where the soil is light. It is comfortable in coastal wind and takes cold to about the level of a light frost, but humid subtropical summers do not agree with it. Everything else hinges on drainage. Heavy wet clay is where these trees fail: the roots sit cold and airless through winter, growth stalls, the foliage goes dull, and the plant either declines slowly or collapses after a wet spell. On clay, plant high in a raised mound with gravel and coarse organic matter worked well beyond the planting hole, or build a raised bed. Establishment is the demanding phase, and after that the roots go deep on a well-drained site. The other decision is about the fruit. It is soft, it drops in quantity and it stains, so keep the canopy off driveways, off paving where cars park and away from the main entry path, and plant it over garden bed or gravel instead.

Choosing between the sculptural evergreens

The closest comparison here is dragon tree, which shares the Canary Islands, the dry-soil habits and the sculptural intent. The dragon tree is architecture: a thick pale trunk, a candelabra of branches, no flowering display worth planting for. The arbutus is a tree in the ordinary sense, giving light shade, seasonal flowers and fruit, with the bark as a bonus rather than the whole act. Take the draco for a gravel courtyard or a large pot; take the arbutus where you want a small evergreen canopy that also holds up close. For a screening evergreen instead of a specimen, cinnamon myrtle is the more useful plant. Semi-advanced grades are listed in semi advanced trees.

Light pruning and a restrained feed

Prune sparingly, once the flowers have finished and before the new growth extends. The bark and the branch structure are the reason for the tree, so the useful cuts are the ones that open the frame and expose the trunk: take out crossing limbs, lift the skirt gradually, and otherwise leave the canopy alone rather than shaping it. It resents hard reduction cuts into old wood. Feeding should be light, and a single application of a low-phosphorus complete fertiliser in early spring is enough on most soils, since over-feeding produces soft growth that flops. Keep mulch coarse and well clear of the trunk collar, and see a young tree through its first two summers so the roots get down.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 4 sizes, from 400mm up to 150L, priced from $249.00 to $1099.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to when to plant in Australia.