DescriptionDelivery & Guarantee
Mountain Ash/Rowan - Sorbus Cardinal Royal | Standard Trees
Browse all of our other Rowan trees, Whitebeam & Wild Service trees here.
Cardinal Royal is a cultivar of our native Rowan trees, which are also known as Mountain Ash. They are distinguished by their branches, which are much more erect than their parent. This creates a tidier overall appearance when the tree is used to line an avenue and also makes it a good choice for a small garden. In May, the small, white, aromatic flowers emerge from pearl-like buds which develop into big bunches of blood red berries by mid August. Cardinal Royal produces a noticeably bigger crop than a wild Rowan tree and this is much appreciated by your neighborhood birds, who rely on berries like these to put on weight before the winter. They are very popular with farm poultry too. All types of Rowan come into their own around late September with a fantastic display - half the leaves are still green while the others fade from rusty ochre to custard yellow. With the rich, rosy berries amongst all of that, these trees are models of autumn colour. Rowans are hardy trees that prefer acidic soil and will suffer if the ground is chalky.
Cardinal Royal berries are perfectly edible with the right preparation, although they are not sweet like Edulis berries. Eaten raw, they will give you a stomach ache. They are ripe when they part easily from their stem. For the best results, freeze the berries first or collect them after a frost - this opens up the fruit's tissues and means that you won't have to cook them for long, which helps to preserve their vitamins. The heat required to then make jelly or jam will destroy any compounds that cause indigestion and the best jelly is made with an equal amount of Rowan berries and crab apples. They were a vital source of vitamin C for our ancestors and the Rowan tree has a host of old names, most of which describe the berries - Rowan simply means "the red one".
Cardinal Royal reaches a modest size of about 12 metres, 40 feet, and it grows swiftly. Suitable for both chalk and heavy clay soils, so long as there is good drainage (such as on a hill, ridge or slope).
Please watch our tree planting video for full planting instructions.
How Standard Trees are Measured:
All the plants in the ornamental trees section are graded as standards, which means that they are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level (basically, their trunk's waist measurement). They aren't measured by their height, which will vary.
So, a 6/8 standard has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8 centimetres and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10 centimetres around.
This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height. Most standards are between 2 - 3.5 metres tall, but this is just an average. We cannot tell you how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.
Read our full terms and conditions here.
Delivery: Any order with a standard sized tree in it has a basic delivery charge of £12.55 + vat.
Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
You can choose the delivery week that suits you during checkout and we will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.
Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.
Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.
Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted trees must be watered in dry weather while they are establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.
Our nursery has been supplying large ornamental trees to gardeners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying specimen trees online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.
Your 12 Month Guarantee
If any plants die within a year, we replace them if you have followed our instructions. You only pay for
the delivery of the replacements.
Place an order for £250 excluding VAT and delivery and we deliver it for FREE!
Bare-root Plants are only delivered in the winter season, from November to March. Pot grown plants can be delivered all year round
Advantages of Bare-root plants:
You pay less for the same size plants.
You can carry and plan them easily.
You only plant them in winter, so they need less maintenance after
planting. The rain will water them for their first few months.
You get the biggest selection: Many trees are not sold pot-grown.
They are "asleep" in winter - this is the best time to transplant any tree.
They use fewer fertilisers & fungicides, less water and fuel in their production & delivery.
Advantages of Pot Grown plants:
Pot grown plants can be delivered & planted all year round.
Plants with tender roots & larger specimens must be delivered in pots.
Plants in pots can be kept for months longer if there is a delay in planting.
Our Advice to You:
If you can't wait to get planting, order Pot grown plants now.
If you are not in a hurry, order bare-root plants for delivery this winter. Simply add them to your basket and choose a winter delivery date that suits you during checkout.
This will reserve your plants before they sell out.
We won't charge you until the day before delivery, so cancelling your order is always easy.
If you are only ordering chemicals and other small items, delivery is £3.50
Our delivery charge for most bareroot plants is £9.49 + VAT.
If your order contains any standard sized trees, fruit trees or pot-grown plants, then the delivery charge is £12.55 + VAT in TOTAL.
If you live in the Scottish Highlands or the Isle of Wight, there will be an extra charge of £15 + VAT on top of the appropriate basic charge, as listed above.
If your order is over £250 exc. VAT, there will be no delivery charge.
If you are uncertain, just add items to your basket which will calculate the basic shipping charge for you.
