Anyone grown the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo)?

[Miss Mousetrousers]

After looking for something evergreen to put in a large oak barrel situated at the front of our cottage which is in full sun but subject to our salt-laden winds, we decided to get one as it is supposed to cope with this situation. Looks lovely and its leaves remind me of my Bay bush that is in a similar site and is doing really well. Anyone grown one?

[sparrow100]

Yes, I've got one.

It's grown as hedging a lot in Italy, where the berries actually taste pretty nice. There isn't enough sun for them to develop any flavour here so they are sweet, seedy pap. Look pretty though.

You need to watch for fungal growth on the leaves if the place you put them is damp, but the salt in your winds (!) might cure that anyway. Mine's a bit rusty. The ones by the Thames are big and beautiful.

[Mitzi]

The fruit taste nice? I was told by a botanist from Kew Gardens that the "unedo" part of the name means "I eat one" because they don't taste nice so you don't eat a second.

Never grown one; nice looking trees, though.

[sparrow100]

They do in sunny Italy. I ate all the ones I could reach in a garden centre there - with permission. My father-in-law charmed the owner.
Here they taste of nothing much, in my opinion.

[Mrs Bee]

I used to have one in a previous garden. Lovely plants, with red prickly bobbles.

I meant to get one for this garden but I seem to have run out of space.

[Snoop Puss]

We have quite a few growing wild on our land. They're also known as Shepherd's Cherry trees here. But the shepherds must have been desperate because although I quite like (don't mind!) the taste, the texture is altogether too pippy and fibrous. One is definitely enough. Mrs Bee, you might find they make a nice foam or other kind of extract though.