Go here to see a cool video of this plant and hear a recording of "My Love's an Arbutus" by Charles Villiers Stanford, performed by Fairhaven Singers.
Arbutus unedo grows to 15 to 30 feet tall. The variety 'Compacta' is, as the name implies, smaller.
The dark evergreen leaves are glossy and have a serrated margin The hermaphrodite flowers are white (rarely pink) bell-shaped, 4–6 mm diameter, produced panicles of 10–30 together in autumn. They are pollinated by bees.
The fruit is edible, though many people find it bland and mealy; the name 'unedo' is explained by Pliny the Elder as being derived from unum edo "I eat one", which may seem an apt response to the flavor. (Thank you Wikipedia.)
It would have been this tree to which Alfred Perceval Graves (1846 - 1931) compared his love in the poem.
My love's an arbutus
By the borders of Lene,
So slender and shapely
In her girdle of green.
And I measure the pleasure
Of her eye's sapphire sheen
By the blue skies that sparkle
Through the soft branching screen.
But though ruddy the berry
And snowy the flower
That brighten together
The arbutus bower,
Perfuming and blooming
Through sunshine and shower,
Give me her bright lips
And her laugh's pearly dower.
Alas! fruit and blossom
Shall lie dead on the lea,
And Time's jealous fingers
Dim your young charms, Machree.
But unranging, unchanging,
You'll still cling to me,
Like the evergreen leaf
To the arbutus tree.
By the borders of Lene,
So slender and shapely
In her girdle of green.
And I measure the pleasure
Of her eye's sapphire sheen
By the blue skies that sparkle
Through the soft branching screen.
But though ruddy the berry
And snowy the flower
That brighten together
The arbutus bower,
Perfuming and blooming
Through sunshine and shower,
Give me her bright lips
And her laugh's pearly dower.
Alas! fruit and blossom
Shall lie dead on the lea,
And Time's jealous fingers
Dim your young charms, Machree.
But unranging, unchanging,
You'll still cling to me,
Like the evergreen leaf
To the arbutus tree.
(Lene = Killarney)
To see other gardener's favorites this week, click on over to Danger Garden!
Wow...I never thought I'd find anyone else with an affinity for Stanford! Have you heard his Requiem...amazing stuff...that and his Stabat Mater are gorgeous. I had no idea the fruits were edible!
ReplyDeleteI like all kinds of music. Made my church choir do Stanford's Magnificat in G for a choral evensong service a few years ago.
DeleteI love this tree SO MUCH. Gorgeous. I've almost planted it several times but keep coming back to the fact there there is a huge one nearby I walk by almost daily, so it's kind of like having one in my garden without having to give up the space. On a sad note I've seen several as clipped hedges or boxes recently...WHY!? Occasionally a fruit or two will be inside the clip zone and be allowed to remain. I just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteCisco loves this plant and has recommended it several times as a hedge alternative to English laurel. I loved the Arbutus (arbutus marina?) that we saw in San Francisco with exfoliating bark revealing bright green wood beneath.
DeleteBrings back memories of early music lessons and a piano piece for beginners called 'Trailing Arbutus' (must have been a different variety). I had about as much luck growing the strawberry tree as I did playing piano, but I sure do admire it from afar.
ReplyDeleteIt's never too late for piano lessons or arbutus. My grandmother's silver pattern was Arbutus. I think of her when I set the table with it each Thanksgiving.
DeleteA poem with reference to arbutus, wow! It is a gorgeous plant and so garden worthy. Compacta form should make this even more accessible for those with smaller garden.
ReplyDeleteMy "Compacta" is sprawling and growing so quickly that I'm thinking it's not so compact. I don't mind though because right now when I walk up the steps to my front door, I see the bush covered with flowers and the few fruits that the squirrels haven't figured out how to find.
DeleteI really enjoyed this post! Flowers and fruit at the same time, and musical poetry to match. cool.
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda, This is a lovely plant and closely related to our native Madrone.
DeleteI enjoy seeing your Arbutus photos, very pretty. I am unfortunately at a higher altitude and get an occasional bad frost that wiped out my 2 bushes. I have fond memories of them from my 20 years in San Diego, and have seen some here, some notably in a parking lot strip surrounded by asphalt that got the heat to do very well and even fruit. I used to seek the fruit out, I think the flavor is gorgeously custard-y and don't mind the stony bits.
ReplyDeleteI only tried a fruit once and it had an interesting texture but didn't have much flavor. Maybe it was over ripe? Sorry you can't grow this where you are!
DeleteLove the flowers. Reminds me of blueberry or andromeda.
ReplyDeleteLook very similar!
DeleteMy arbutus is supposed to be 'Compacta' but I think it was mislabeled. It's gotten quite large. I cut out the inside branches so you can see the trunk and bark and it looks pretty nice, if I do say so myself. Great plant.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite plants, not just this week, but at any time. Although, I have never been inspired to compose a song by it, especially one like that.
ReplyDelete