Spring 2024Order pot grown trees now for delivery from week commencing 8th April
Pippin Trees banner logoChoose from over 280 flowering cherries, crab apples, rowans and other ornamental trees.

Joseph Rock

Sorbus
Joseph Rock berries and leaves

'Joseph Rock' is an excellent choice if you are loooking for a rowan tree to fit in a smaller space. It is widely considered one of the best of the small rowans, with an elegant appearance, reaching perhaps 4m after 10 years.

Clusters of white flowers appear in late May, followed by dense fruitlets which turn from white to golden yellow as autumn progresses.

It is one of the best rowans for autumn colour, with the leaves often attaining a flame red colour - contrasting attractively with the bright yellow fruitlets.

Joseph Rock rowan trees for sale

  • 11-year bare-root tree £44.50
    Large size (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Alert me
  • 22-year pot-grown tree £69.95
    In a 12L pot
    Large size (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Alert me

How to grow

'Joseph Rock' is easy to grow and is a great tree for a small garden. It is susceptible to fireblight - but this is not usually an issue in the UK climate.

History

'Joseph Rock' is named after Dr Joseph Rock of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, and is thought to have come from seeds collected on an expedition to China in the 1930s. The original tree still stands in the gardens of RHS Wisley.

Joseph Rock characteristics

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • AwardsRHS 1st class - 1962RHS AGM (former) - 1993
  • Attractive featuresAttractive fruitAutumn foliage colour
  • Growth habitUpright-spreading / Vase
  • Height after 10 years3m-5m / 10ft-16ft
  • PruningLight prune
  • Site conditionsCoastal siteOccasional flooding
  • WildlifeAttractive to birds
  • Flower colourWhite
  • Flowering monthMayJune
  • Leaf colourGreen
  • Leaf colour - autumnOrange / Red
  • Fruit colourYellow
  • Fruit persistencePersistent
  • Country of originChina
  • Annual cycleDeciduous

Similar varieties

  • See also Autumn Spire
    Sorbus aucuparia
    Autumn Spire
    Autumn Spire (Flanrock) is a columnar rowan with yellow fruitlets and excellent autumn colour.
  • See also Copper Kettle
    Sorbus
    Copper Kettle
    Named for its attractive light copper-coloured fruitlets, Copper Kettle is easy to grow and takes up little space.
  • See also Sunshine
    Sorbus
    Sunshine
    A small rowan tree with an upright form and golden yellow clusters of fruits, and strong autumn colours.

What will it look like?

Illustrative example of a pot-grown tree of this variety as supplied. Approximate girth: 6/8cm. We try to keep all pot-grown trees down to about 1.5m as supplied, but some may be larger. Trees should reach their mature height after about 10 or more years. We may also have 1-year bare-root trees of this variety - they are not shown here.

Sorbus Joseph Rock

How to choose a Rowan or Whitebeam tree

We list more than 50 Sorbus (rowan and whitebeam) trees. Choosing can be difficult! Our article explaining the different berry and leaf colours might help narrow down the selection.