Summer 2024You can now pre-order for next season. Deliveries will begin again in September for pot grown trees and December for bare-rooted or mixed tree orders.
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Matthew Ridley

Sorbus

Sorbus 'Matthew Ridley' is vigorous upright Rowan or Mountain Ash.

This is one of the earlier-flowering Rowans, usually starting in early May. The flowers are small and white, long-lasting, and attractive to bees.

In autumn it features large clusters of oblong-shaped orange-red berries.

The highly lobed leaves are bright green, taking on autumnal hues before they fall.

Matthew Ridley rowan trees for sale

  • 11-year bare-root tree £44.50
    Large size (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • 22-year pot-grown tree £71.95
    In a 12L pot
    Large size (3m-5m after 10 years)
Next deliveries

You can now pre-order for next season.

How to grow

Matthew Ridley is easy to grow on most soils.

History

This Rowan tree is named after Lord Matthew Ridley, a keen botanist who died in 2012. He did much to encourage the conservation and study of trees, and held a national collection of Sorbus on his estate at Blagdon in Northumberland, where this variety was discovered.

Matthew Ridley characteristics

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Attractive featuresAttractive fruitAutumn foliage colour
  • Growth habitUpright
  • Height after 10 years3m-5m / 10ft-16ft
  • PruningLight prune
  • Growth rateAverage
  • Site conditionsCoastal siteOccasional flooding
  • WildlifeAttractive to birds
  • Flower colourWhite
  • Flowering monthMay
  • Leaf colourGreen
  • Leaf colour - autumnOrange / Red
  • Fruit colourYellow / Orange
  • Fruit persistencePersistent
  • Annual cycleDeciduous

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.