Whitebeam Tree | Sorbus aria 'Lutescens'
Stunning white, spring blooms
Grown by John
South Downs National Park
Perfectly happy plants, or your money back
Specialist overnight plant delivery
The highlights
- Bushy, upright tree (spreading with maturity)
- Large tree – grows up to 10m
- Silver-green, deciduous leaves
- Award of Garden Merit winner
Description
- This highly popular, native tree is a big hit with both gardeners and wildlife alike, thanks to its incredible foliage, gorgeous springtime flowers and bold, colourful berries
- Speaking of the foliage, ‘Lutescens’ features distinctive, rounded, light green leaves with an unusual silvery sheen (which is especially prominent when the leaves have just emerged)
- Growing to a height of around 10 metres tall, this tree is undeniably impactful, and particularly well-suited to medium- and large-sized gardens – you can even prune your tree to keep to a shorter height as a means of fitting it into smaller gardens
- Clusters of enchanting, creamy-white flowers in late spring are followed by the appearance of vibrant, orange-red berries come autumn time (charmingly known as ‘chess apples’ in certain parts of England)
- The berries are a particular favourite of the birds, including thrushes, blackbirds and waxwings, while the flowers attract pollinating insects like bees (this tree is certified by the RHS as one of its Plants for Pollinators)
- Our potted trees are supplied in EcoPots™. Eco pots use 70% less plastic and are fully recyclable, unlike normal single use pots. They flex and so produce less root spiralling and travel better in the post
- Our trees are usually between 18 and 36 months old at the time of dispatch
- Our trees are professionally pruned before dispatching. This formative pruning can involve cutting the main leader, if the expert tree growers decide this will produce a better shaped tree. This can stop the tree becoming "leggy", and promote stronger, bushier growth
What To Expect
Supplied as:
Height on arrival:
Eventual height:
Eventual spread:
Time to first crop:
Flower colour:
Habit:
Hardiness:
Rootstock:
Spacing:
How To Grow
High Disease Resistance / Average Pest Resistance
Not prone to many diseases in cold regions but prone to fire blight in warm areas. Prune away affected branches if this happens. Lichen will sometimes grow on the bark, and in rural areas Deer may eat the berries.MORE
Water during dry spells
Watering is only needed in long droughts. You can also water thoroughly during spring to ensure rapid growth during summer months.
Full Sun or partly shaded
Sorbus trees aren't to picky about their position - they will grow in open, sunny sites (6h+) or partial shade(3-6h).
Happy in most soils
Prefers well drained, acidic soils best
Prune Annually
Never prune during the growing season as sap will attract bugs and diseases, although any time of year is acceptable for dead wood removal. If diseased, then prune away affected branches.
Planting Calendar
- Best time to plant
- Harvest
- Flower
South Downs National Park
Meet John
110 years' expertise free with every tree
John’s family have been growing trees in the South Downs National Park for over a century, and it shows. Dug up and sent straight to your garden at between 18-36 months old, their quality rootstocks, expert pruning and natural pest control mean that these traditionally field-grown trees are the hardiest you can get.
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Growing with Roots
Good to know
Our plants are grown in the UK
Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.
Our plants are delivered overnight
Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 24 hours.
We're here to help at every step
We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team of experts.
Perfect plants, guaranteed
We’re confident that you’ll be delighted with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee you’re perfectly happy.
See our nursery
How we grow your trees
Meet John, our expert tree grower in the South Downs, and see how he raises, prunes and packs all our trees.
Learn from our experts
Is a Rowan Tree Right for My Garden?
Digging deep to answer your questions
How do I know I'm getting quality plants?
All of our plants are grown in specialist nurseries with the highest standards of plant care and sustainability. We guarantee you'll love them as much as we do! Don't just take our word for it - we've got thousands of great reviews on Trustpilot.
When will I get my plants?
The delivery timescale for each plant is on the web page (near the 'add to basket's button). You'll receive a dispatch email with an exact delivery date once your plants are on their way, so you can get the garden ready.
How will my plants be packed and delivered?
We send all of our orders through a courier network designed to handle plants. Specialist equipment ensures that no plants will be damaged during the packing process and every order is carefully finished and checked by plant-loving humans. Your plants will arrive in the most sustainable packaging possible with minimal to no plastic used.
Where do you deliver?
We deliver to anywhere in Mainland UK for our standard delivery cost. We are able to deliver most plants to Highlands and non UK mainland however this will be at an additional cost. This will be calculated at the checkout. Please note, deliveries to these locations will take longer. Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver to Northern Ireland at present.
Ask the grower
One of our trusted team will get back to you via email
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Best plants you will ever get online
I have ordered plants from them twice this year. They arrived well packaged, on time and looked strong and healthy. I feel the staff from Roots plants deal with their plants and customers with passion and care. I can’t wait to order again, price is good as well.
Peter Mawer
Highly recommended all round
Delivered quickly, perfectly packaged and the tree was in excellent condition. Really healthy and taken to the garden with no problems. Can't recommend highly enough. 5 stars isn't enough!
John Harris
Satisfied customer
Unlike other online sellers, this company are well ahead in the quality stakes. My plant arrived promptly as per their promise and the plant was much more established and healthy than I had expected. It’s the second time I have ordered from them and I have faith in their promise. Excellent service.
Karen McEwan
A really good quality tree
A really good quality tree, delivered on time and very well packaged. But the emailed planting advice and supporting information was what really impressed me. Thoroughly recommended.
Martin C Simmons
Exceptional quality
The quality of the plants was exceptional, unlike ones I have had before from local garden centres. Thank you so much. I will definitely be using you again.
Sara Bradley
Marvelous!
Marvelous service, great plants and fast delivery. Very useful information on how to care for the plants I bought. Easy to use website that makes it far too easy to overindulge in fabulous plants😂🌱
Cheryl Mae Owen