Mountain Ash/Rowan Sorbus aucuparia Sheerwater Seedling | Standard trees
Sheerwater Seedling is the baby of the Rowan family, reaching 10 metres, 35 feet at most, with a distinct tendency to form a neat oval crown without much pruning. Like other Mountain Ashes, these deciduous trees are vigorous, quite shade tolerant and hardy with a long season of decorative value. Clumps of small white flowers that look like huge furry caterpillars from a distance appear in May and bees love them. By late summer, these develop into large bunches of brilliant red/orange berries which become a major food source for birds, especially blackbirds and thrushes. Sheerwater Seedling's finale is yet to come. By October the leaves are turning into a rich mass of colour with the shiny berries drawing all of the greens, yellows and blazing reds into one visual feast. Rowans are very pollution resistant thanks to their reliance on symbiotic fungi to supply minerals to their roots, these subterranean partners also act as a barrier to prevent the tree's roots from absorbing harmful compounds. All of these qualities make Sheerwater Seedling very popular with owners of small town gardens. If the birds don't get them first, humans can cook and eat the berries, although we would recommend the Edulis variety for its sweeter fruit if you plan to add Rowan berry jelly to your menu of regular garden produce.
Rowans are native to Britain and northern Europe. They were revered by ancient Scottish tribes, who called the rowan the Lady of the Mountain and it was taboo to cut them down for firewood. This was out of both awe and practical concerns: they can grow on barren, rocky mountain peaks where no other British trees will survive and the berries were an essential source of vitamin C. Some historians believe that the red lines on a kilt symbolise Rowan berries. Sorbus aucuparia Sheerwater Seedling has three natural enemies: rabbits, deer and chalk. The first two will go for the tree's bark with gusto, so a guard is needed for the trunk if they are around. Chalk and alkaline soils make life hard for the root's fungal assistants and the tree will not thrive as a result. On the other side of the pH scale, they have no problem at all and are often found growing alongside pine trees, which also love acid soil.
If you are unclear about the way standard trees are sized, take a look at our Guide to Standard Tree Sizing or you can go back to our main standard trees page.
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