Marina Strawberry Tree Live Plant – 1ft Tall – 6 inch Pot – Outdoor Evergreen

Overview

The Marina Strawberry Tree live plant is a truly captivating addition to any landscape, offering year-round beauty and interest. This particular specimen arrives as a healthy 1ft tall plant, ready to thrive in its new home, shipped securely in a 6-inch pot. Known scientifically as Arbutus ‘Marina’, this small evergreen tree is celebrated for its distinctive cinnamon-colored, peeling bark, which adds significant visual appeal, especially during the colder months. Its dense, dark green foliage provides a lush backdrop, while delicate white to pink bell-shaped flowers emerge in autumn, followed by spherical, edible fruits that ripen from yellow to red. These fruits, resembling strawberries, are not only attractive but also provide a sweet, mild flavor, making the Marina Strawberry Tree live plant a delightful choice for both ornamental and edible landscapes.

Originating from the Mediterranean region, the Marina Strawberry Tree live plant is highly adaptable and resilient, making it an excellent choice for a variety of garden styles, from formal to informal. Its moderate growth rate and manageable size make it suitable for smaller gardens, urban courtyards, or as a focal point in larger landscapes. This tree is not just a plant; it’s a living sculpture that evolves through the seasons, offering a continuous display of color and texture. Its unique characteristics ensure it stands out, providing a blend of aesthetic beauty and practical benefits.

Key Benefits

Choosing the Marina Strawberry Tree live plant for your garden brings a multitude of advantages, enhancing both the beauty and functionality of your outdoor space. This versatile tree offers several compelling reasons to make it a part of your landscape:

• Exceptional Ornamental Value: The striking, reddish-brown peeling bark provides year-round visual interest, especially prominent in winter. Its glossy, dark green leaves offer a rich, verdant backdrop that complements other plantings beautifully.
• Delicious Edible Fruit: Enjoy the unique, sweet, and slightly tart red fruits that mature in autumn. These strawberry-like berries can be eaten fresh, used in jams, or as a garnish, adding a gourmet touch to your garden’s bounty.
• Attractive Flowers: Clusters of delicate, bell-shaped white to pink flowers bloom in the fall, providing nectar for pollinators and adding a touch of elegance to the tree before the fruits ripen.
• Evergreen Foliage: As an evergreen, the Marina Strawberry Tree live plant maintains its lush green leaves throughout the year, ensuring continuous beauty and privacy in your garden, even during the dormant season.
• Drought Tolerance: Once established, this tree is remarkably drought-tolerant, making it an excellent choice for xeriscaping or gardens in drier climates, requiring less water than many other ornamental trees.
• Low Maintenance: Generally, the Strawberry Tree care requirements are minimal. It is a relatively low-maintenance tree, requiring only occasional pruning to maintain its shape and health, making it suitable for busy gardeners.
• Wildlife Attraction: The flowers attract bees and other pollinators, while the fruits are a favorite food source for birds, enhancing biodiversity in your garden.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper Strawberry Tree care is essential for ensuring your Marina Strawberry Tree live plant thrives and reaches its full potential. This adaptable tree is relatively easy to care for once established, but providing the right conditions from the start will promote vigorous growth and abundant fruiting. When it comes to sunlight, the Marina Strawberry Tree performs best in a location that receives full sun to partial shade. Full sun (at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day) will encourage the most prolific flowering and fruiting, as well as the most vibrant bark coloration. In hotter climates, some afternoon shade can be beneficial to protect the foliage from scorching.

Watering is crucial during the establishment phase. After planting, water regularly and deeply to encourage a strong root system. Once established, typically after the first year, the Arbutus ‘Marina’ becomes quite drought-tolerant and will require less frequent watering. However, during prolonged dry spells, supplemental watering will be beneficial. The ideal soil for this tree is well-draining, slightly acidic to neutral, and can tolerate a range of soil types, including sandy, loamy, or clay soils, as long as drainage is good. Avoid heavy, waterlogged soils, which can lead to root rot. Good drainage is paramount for healthy growth.

The Marina Strawberry Tree live plant is hardy in USDA zones 8-11, making it suitable for a wide range of climates. It can tolerate temperatures down to about 10-20°F (-12 to -7°C) once mature. Fertilization is generally not heavily required. A light application of a balanced, slow-release fertilizer in early spring can promote healthy growth, especially in poorer soils. Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring to remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches and to maintain its desired shape and size. This also helps to showcase its beautiful bark. Watch out for common pests like scale insects or aphids, and treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap if necessary. Fungal diseases are rare but ensure good air circulation to prevent them. This evergreen tree for garden use is a robust choice that rewards minimal effort with significant beauty.

Size & Details

This offering is for a healthy Marina Strawberry Tree live plant, measuring approximately 1ft in height from the top of the soil, and shipped in a sturdy 6-inch nursery pot. This size is ideal for immediate planting in your garden or a larger container. The Marina Strawberry Tree is a moderate grower, typically adding 12-24 inches of height per year under optimal conditions. When mature, it can reach an impressive height and spread of up to 15-25 feet, forming a beautiful, rounded canopy. Its growth habit makes it suitable as a small specimen tree, a screen, or even a large shrub. The plant arrives well-rooted and ready to transition into its permanent location, ensuring a strong start for this beautiful edible fruit tree. Expect to see its first flowers and fruits within a few years of planting, becoming more abundant as the tree matures.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Marina Strawberry Tree live plant get? A: This Marina Strawberry Tree ships at 1ft tall in a 6-inch pot. At maturity, it can typically grow to a height and spread of 15-25 feet, making it a medium-sized evergreen tree perfect for many garden settings.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Marina Strawberry Tree live plant is an outdoor plant. It thrives in full sun to partial shade in USDA hardiness zones 8-11 and is not suited for long-term indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does the Arbutus ‘Marina’ need? A: For best growth, flowering, and fruiting, the Marina Strawberry Tree requires at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day (full sun). It can tolerate partial shade, especially in hotter climates.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, Strawberry Tree care is considered relatively easy. Once established, it is drought-tolerant and requires minimal pruning. It’s a great choice for gardeners looking for a low-maintenance yet impactful tree.
• Q: What condition will the Marina Strawberry Tree live plant arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive healthy, well-rooted, and securely packaged in its 6-inch nursery pot, ready for planting. We take great care to ensure safe transit.
• Q: When is the best time to plant a Marina Strawberry Tree live plant? A: The best time to plant is in spring or early fall, allowing the tree enough time to establish its root system before extreme summer heat or winter cold.
• Q: Are the fruits of the Marina Strawberry Tree live plant edible? A: Yes, the fruits of the Marina Strawberry Tree are edible. They have a sweet, mild flavor and can be eaten fresh or used in various culinary applications like jams and preserves.
• Q: Will this evergreen tree for garden use survive winter in my zone if I’m in a colder area? A: The Marina Strawberry Tree is hardy in USDA zones 8-11. If you are in a colder zone, it may require winter protection or be grown in a container that can be moved indoors during severe cold.
• Q: What kind of soil does the edible fruit tree prefer? A: It prefers well-draining soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH. It can adapt to various soil types but good drainage is crucial to prevent root rot.
• Q: How often should I water my newly planted Marina Strawberry Tree live plant? A: For the first year after planting, water regularly and deeply, about 1-2 times per week depending on weather, to help establish a strong root system. Once established, it becomes more drought-tolerant.