Vilmorins Rowan, Large Trees

Sorbus vilmorinii: Bareroot Pink Berried Rowan Trees in Standard Sizes

Sorbus vilmorinii is a small, spreading Chinese rowan tree with bags of ornamental value: one of the most delicate and graceful Rowans.
The foliage consists of long fronds of opposing leaflets that spread out as though they are investigating their surroundings, twitching in the lightest breeze and resembling ferns from a distance.
In spring, large clusters of white flowers rise up from the base of the leaves. These are smaller than other types of Rowan, but they more than make up for it by appearing in such dense numbers that they seem to froth out of the tree. When autumn comes, the leaves go out in a jumble of rich, deep reds and purples that help show off the bold colours of the plentiful berries, which slowly change colour from maroon to rosy white, passing through shell pink on the way.

They can be kept as a tree or allowed to become more of a large shrub to about 4-5 metres.

Browse all of our other varieties of Rowan / Mountain Ash trees, or our full range of trees.

Delivery season: Rowan trees are delivered bareroot during late autumn and winter, approximately November-March inclusive.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they are best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it is convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Features:

• Height: 4-5m
• Soil: Any well drained, fairly moist soil except shallow chalk
• Use: Specimen, small garden, large container, avenue, urban
• Colour: Berries change from deep pink to almost white.
• RHS Award of Garden Merit
• Bareroot delivery only: November-March
  

Growing Vilmorin Rowans

Any reasonably moist, well drained soil apart from shallow chalk. Suitable for large containers designed for trees. Full sun or partial shade. Tolerant of pollution. Does not tolerate drought. Really thrives in high rainfall areas with fairly light soil in colder parts of the UK. Tolerates partial shade, but is most ornamental in full sun.

Without occasional pruning to maintain a single stem, mature plants tend to become multi-stemmed large shrubs if left to their own devices.

Did You Know?

This tree was introduced to Europe in about 1890 by either Abbot Delavay or Father Armand David, two French missionaries who spent long careers in China. They worked at the same time and were prolific plant collectors; it seems that both men were too modest to ensure that they were remembered as the one who discovered this beautiful plant. Either way, it was discovered on the north side of the mountain ranges that mark the border between Kashmir and China, and named after Auguste Louis Maurice LC)vC*que de Vilmorin (1849-1918), who was president of three agricultural and botanical societies and academies in his career.

Standard trees are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level: their trunk's waist measurement. Unlike sapling trees and hedge plants, standards aren't measured by their height, which will vary quite a bit both between and within species.
So, a 6/8cm standard tree has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8cm and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10cm around. This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height.
On average, standard trees are 2-3.5 metres tall when they arrive, but we cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.

Notes on planting Sorbus vilmorinii trees:
Sorbus vilmorinii is used to mountain conditions - regular rainfall keeping the soil moist even though the drainage is very good and lots of sun. It likes an acidic soil and won't grow well on chalk. It is very hardy and will still put on a great show if you plant it in a frosty area, as long as it gets enough light.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the site where you plant a tree several months in advance. Kill the weeds first: for tough weeds like nettles, brambles and ground elder, you will usually need a weed-killer to get rid of them. When you dig the soil over, remove stones and other rubbish and mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades.

Watch our video on how to plant a tree for full instructions.
Remember to water establishing trees during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Tree Planting accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass.
You can buy a tree planting pack with a wooden stake & rubber tie to support the tree and a mulch mat with pegs to protect the soil around the base of your tree from weeds and drying out.
We suggest that you use mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of all newly planted large trees: if your soil quality is poor, we strongly recommend it.