Strawberry tree - pruning to keep height and make wider?
Adam Knights
Posts: 14
Hi all,
I've potted a couple plants on the front side garden in order to hide the charging point of my new car. I live in a pretty good area but theres no harm disguising it a bit just incase.
One of the plants is a lovely strawberry tree which I put in the bigger pot a week ago. My question is on pruning strategy, I wouldnt mind it being wider but would like to keep it with foliage in covering about where it is, it could move slightly up and still be ok, but not too much more - when and how would you prune to achieve this?
As a second (bonus) question, I may choose to add a potted plant on the left that perhaps covers up the orange cable, so wouldnt need to be as tall but perhaps sit in a long pot, the photo is taken facing north so it will get a fair amount of sun apart from the shade of the strawberry tree.
(My apologises for the grass, this part of the garden will be plum slate next year to make a double drive so its a little unloved)
Posts
Unusure on the fruit, I think it flowers soon...
The Latin name is Arbutus unedo which, they say means "you only eat one", but the frits do look like strawberries. It turns into a big, sprawlingly handsome tree. I think it's native to Ireland, but I may be wrong.
Adam, you are just as likely to have your pot plants nicked as your electricity.
haha, possibly, though our neighbour has one similar looking to my purple one and its been there for years
Re the pruning, the flowers are produced one year and the fruit matures the following year, a bit like a fig, so any pruning of spent flowers will result in loss of fruit the next year.
It naturally wants to grow to something like 20 feet or more high, so any pruning is going to be very much against its wishes.