Sheerwater Seedling Rowan, Large Trees

Sorbus Sheerwater Seedling Standard Trees

Sorbus aucuparia Sheerwater Seedling is a small native Rowan that is ideal for the smaller garden.
Sheerwater Seedling can reach a height of about 9 metres, or approximately 4 metres tall as a half standard.
Standard trees are the largest size that we deliver; you can also buy native Mountain Ash saplings here.
Browse all of our other varieties of Rowan / Mountain Ash trees for sale.

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.
Standard trees are 2 - 3.5 metres tall (on average) when they arrive; they are the most mature trees that you can buy from us. We cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.

General description of Sorbus aucuparia Sheerwater Seedling trees:

One of the smallest Rowan trees, naturally forming a neat oval crown without pruning. These deciduous trees are vigorous, quite shade tolerant and hardy with a long season of decorative value.
Clumps of small white flowers that look furry from a distance appear in May; 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.

It has an excellent autumn finale. 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.

History & uses:

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.