Sorbus aucuparia Sheerwater Seedling

The Sorbus aucuparia 'Sheerwater Seedling' is a cultivar of rowan tree with an upright habit, lovely for its decorative fruits. They are larger than those of the species and are a scarlet red colour. It is a beautiful tree that can reach a height of about 12 m (39ft). It displays the typical compound foliage of the species but in a greyish-green colour, which is unique, turning yellow or red in autumn. It has white flowering that appears in spring. Very hardy, it is accommodating regarding soil and climate and shows great versatility.

The rowan tree is a tree that reaches about fifteen metres and, in nature, grows in hedges along paths or woodland edges. Its natural distribution range is immense as it covers much of Europe, Russia, and temperate Asia and extends to Japan. Its excellent hardiness and tolerance to many different natural conditions, whether in terms of soil or climate, explain this species' capacity for expansion. In our countryside, its berries serve as a pantry for wild birds, hence the common name of this tree. 

As a member of the large Rosaceae family, there are dozens of species, with Sorbus aucuparia being one of the most common.

'Sheerwater Seedling' is a variety with reasonably rapid growth, reaching about 8 to 10 m (26 to 33ft) in height and 4 to 5 m (13 to 16ft) in width in ten years before reaching full maturity at about 12 m (39ft) (around 15 to 20 years). Its odd-pinnate foliage is composed of leaflets in a greyish-green shade. Flowering is in white umbels of about 14 cm (6in) in diameter that appear around May and attract bees. The flowers then give numerous clusters of vivid red fruits, 1 cm (1in) or more in diameter and highly decorative, which delight birds that feed on them until the end of the year. In autumn, the foliage turns yellow to red, depending on the situation.

This rowan tree should preferably be planted in full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade for part of the day. It is undemanding in terms of soil and can thrive in poor soil without any problems. Likewise, it will suit fresh to dry soils without excess.

Its intermediate adult size allows planting of this 'Sheerwater Seedling' rowan tree in small to medium-sized gardens or large spaces alongside larger trees. A variegated Norwegian maple or a beautiful purple oak can be a contrasting background. In a smaller garden or planted in a mixed bed, it can be associated with shrubs such as the 'Golden Spirit' smoke bush, whose bright golden foliage will be highlighted by the grey-green of the rowan tree, or with shrubs with decorative berries in various colours for a cocktail of colours (Callicarpa, Symphoricarpos).