Swedish whitebeam

Swedish whitebeam: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree of 10–15 m with a short trunk and a dense, rounded to oval crown.

Leaf

Alternate, 7–12 cm, oval; lower half shallowly lobed, upper part toothed. Underside greyish-yellow felted.

Bark

Grey and smooth, later with shallow cracks.

Flower

Clusters of white flowers in May.

Fruit

Orange-red berries in clusters.

Difference from whitebeam

Whitebeam has a leaf that is not lobed, with a snow-white felted underside.

Flowering: May · Harvest and fruit: September–October · Pruning: November–March

Identify by feature: Lobed leaves (like an oak) · White or silver underside · Orange berries

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Whitebeam (Sorbus aria): leaf not lobed, with a snow-white felted underside.

Why grow it?

• White flowers in May for bees and other insects.
• Orange-red berries in autumn for thrushes, blackbirds and starlings.
• Very wind-firm: even on the coast and in an open, windy spot.
• A medium-sized tree that fits in an ordinary garden, with little pruning.

Swedish whitebeam: where does it grow best?

• Full sun.
• Almost any well-drained soil, including chalky or sandy soil; no waterlogging.
• Tolerates wind, sea wind and city air: suitable for the coast and for a street.
• A crown about 7 m wide: it fits in a medium-sized garden.
• Can carry fireblight: don’t plant it right next to apple or pear trees.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

12 m tall, 7 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Hawthorn: A native hedge or thicket near the tree, also full of blossom and berries.
• Guelder rose: Also flowers white in May–June and bears glossy red berries for the birds.
• Sea buckthorn: On the coast, a wind-firm shrub with orange berries, beside or near the tree.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerate the shade under this tree: oregon grape, rhododendron, oleaster, japanese skimmia, garden privet, camellia, laurustinus, box-leaved honeysuckle

Best kept away from

• Fruit trees that can catch fireblight from this plant: apple, pear, nashi pear

Swedish whitebeam: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, bare-root or root-balled.
2. Dig a generous planting hole and set the tree at the same depth as before.
3. Put a stake on the windward side and tie the trunk loosely; remove stake and tie after 2–3 years.
4. Water generously after planting and during dry spells in the first year.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first year; after that it copes.

Feeding

Not needed; a little compost in spring for a young tree.

Under the tree

Keep the ground around a young tree free of grass and cover it with mulch.

Berries

Leave them for the birds, or pick them in September–October to make jelly.

Tip: In an open, windy spot or on the coast, where other trees grow lopsided, the Swedish whitebeam is one of the best choices for a medium-sized tree.

Swedish whitebeam: when to prune it?

Pruning months: November–March.

When: Dead, diseased and broken branches can be removed at any time of year. If pruning is needed, do it during winter dormancy (November–March).

How:

• Needs little pruning; a street tree can be crown-lifted gradually.
• Train a young tree on a single leader with a balanced crown.
• Never remove many branches at once: lift the crown in small steps, over several years.

Caution: Disinfect your secateurs if you cut out branches with fireblight.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

Take the pips from ripe berries and sow them outdoors in autumn; they germinate after winter. Seedlings closely resemble the parent tree.

Swedish whitebeam: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Fully hardy.
• The berries sometimes stay on into winter, unless the birds eat them first.

Diseases and pests

• Fireblight: Flowers and shoot tips suddenly turn brownish-black, as if scorched. In dry weather, cut affected branches back well into healthy wood and disinfect your secateurs.
• Aphids: Aphids and curled leaves on young shoots in spring. Ladybirds and tits usually clear them up.
• Drought: Young trees wilt in dry summers. Water during the first few years and mulch the ground.

Through the year

• January: Formative pruning and crown lifting in mild weather.
• February: Remove dead branches; planting.
• March: Last month for pruning and planting.
• May: Flowering: white flower clusters for insects.
• June: Check for fireblight and aphids.
• July: Water young trees in dry spells.
• September: The berries turn orange-red; pick them for jelly.
• October: Berries for the birds; sow the pips.
• November: Planting season starts; winter pruning possible.
• December: Remove dead branches.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Wind-firm street tree, even on the coast.

For wildlife

Berries for birds, flowers for insects.

Food and drink

Cooked, the berries can be used for jelly.

Edible and useful

Berries (September–October)

The orange-red berries in September and October. They are larger and less bitter than those of the common rowan, but still use them cooked: for compote, purée or jelly, preferably with apple.

Storing

The berries can be frozen on their clusters. Compote keeps for a few days in the fridge, or six months in the freezer.

Caution: As with all rowans: do not eat them raw in large amounts, and sieve out the seeds. Do not confuse them with poisonous red berries such as those of yew, holly, honeysuckle or guelder rose. Swedish whitebeam is often planted along busy roads: pick in a garden or park away from traffic instead, and never eat anything you have not identified with certainty.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Apple and Swedish whitebeam compote (Compote · 4 people · 40 min)
• Whitebeam and rosemary jelly (Jelly · ± 4 jars of 250 ml · 1 hr + 3 hrs dripping + overnight freezing)
• Red wine and whitebeam berry sauce (Dish · ± 4 portions · 45 min + overnight freezing)

Good for wildlife

Birds

Berries, seeds or insects as food, or a place to nest.

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Hoverflies

Open flowers for hoverflies; many of their larvae eat aphids.

Did you know?

• Very wind-firm and therefore a popular street tree.
• It grows wild around the Baltic Sea, including in southern Sweden.
• Cooked, the berries can be used for jelly; birds eat them raw.
• It arose long ago from crosses between rowan and related species such as whitebeam. Its seed forms without fertilisation, so seedlings are identical to the mother tree.
• In the wild it grows around the Baltic Sea, including southern Sweden, Denmark and the Baltic states.