Whitebeam trees
Whitebeams are part of the Sorbus group, closely related to the Rowans / Mountain Ash.
Whitebeam
Emiel has long leaves, with silvery-green undersides, turning orange in autumn.
Sorbus folgneri
Whitebeam
An unusual species of Sorbus, the leaves are particularly attractive for their white undersides.
Sorbus hemsleyi
Whitebeam
John Mitchell is a popular whitebeam, notable for its large white-green leaves.
Sorbus x aria
Whitebeam
Lemon Drop is a small whitebeam tree, with the characteristic white undersides to its leaves. As the name suggests, the fruitlets are bright yellow.
Sorbus folgneri
WhitebeamBest seller
An excellent large garden tree, very hardy, easy to grow, and tolerant of a wide range of soils and conditions. Grey-green leaves turn russet in autumn, with orange berries.
- Fruit colour: Orange / Red
Sorbus aria
Whitebeam
Red Bird features bright white flowers, orange / red fruits and good autumn leaf colours. It has a wider climate range than other rowans.
- Fruit colour: Orange / Red
Sorbus alnifolia
Whitebeam
A little-known whitebeam species, it features the classic downy grey-green leaves, and russeted fruitlets in autumn.
Sorbus hedlundii
Whitebeam
An upright rowan with large oval leaves and attractive autumn colours and large red fruitlets.
Sorbus japonica
Whitebeam
A little-known Whitebeam from the Himalayas, featuring large silver-green leaves and yellow-orange berries.
- Fruit colour: Yellow / Orange
Sorbus wardii
Whitebeam
A large traditional Rowan tree, native to England.
Sorbus torminalis
How to choose Whitebeam trees
Whitebeams are part of the Sorbus family, and closely related to rowans. However whilst rowans usually have highly feathered leaves, whitebeams have regular-shaped leaves - often with attractive veins which are white on the undersides. Like rowans, whitebeams produce clusters of small flowers in late spring, followed by abundant (usually red) fruitlets. The main attraction is the orange and red colours of the autumn foliage, but whitebeams have a stately presence throughout the year.
Whitebeams are very easy to grow, and tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, including chalky soils and exposed situations.
Many of our whitebeam trees are grafted on to Sorbus intermedia rootstocks (also known as Swedish Whitebeam). We also sometimes use Sorbus aucuparia (the common Rowan). This helps give a consistent size and form.
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