Sorbus - Common whitebeam (Sorbus aria)

Our range of Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) bare root plants

Most of our range of bare root hedging and trees are grown from seed in one growing season but Sorbus aria needs two years to establish and grow into saleable plants.   We grow them as 1U1's which means that we sow the seed in spring and then instead of lifting them the following winter, we leave them in the open fields for another full growing season, undercutting the roots a year after first sowing to develop a fibrous root system.   Sorbus aria bare root plants are only available for sale during the winter months - November to early April.   We grow these plants ourselves in Herefordshire.

We always have several batches of seed of Sorbus aria including UK provenance and the highest quality imported seed so if the seed provenance is particularly important to you, please give us a call so that we can allocate plants from the most appropriate batch.

We also have cell grown Sorbus aria plants which are grown by one of the UK's best specialist nurseries and these plants are available all year round.

You can read more about the specifications we offer on the tab just below the pricing table - to the right of this product description.

Common Whitebeam (Sorbus aria lutescens) Summary

Native to the south and west of England (for further north please see Swedish Whitebeam), with white felted undersides to the dark green leaves giving this tree it’s characteristic grey appearance.   As with other Sorbus varieties, it has clusters of white scented flowers in spring (extremely popular with insects particularly bees) followed by red berries in autumn which are eaten by many types of birds. 

Soil and Situation

Best grown on chalk or lime rich soils with some moisture, in full sun or partial shade.  Whitebeam's are popular with urban planners because they dont make a mess but they belong in woods too where the berries are a good winter bird food source.

Leaves, flowers and fruit

The leaves are oval and slightly toothed (but not deeply lobed like the Swedish Whitebeam), dark green on the surface but with silvery hairs with soften the colour and with its main feature of white hairs underneath and especially in spring the foliage has an unusual grey appearance from a distance.  Whitebeam has clusters of creamy scented flowers followed by large red pulpy berries popular with crows, wood pigeons, blackbirds and thrushes and although the berries are too big for smaller birds, they will peck at the berries and eat the seeds.

Eventual height and growth rate

A medium sized tree growing to about 10m with average growth rate.

This section gives definitions on the specifications of plants that we sell.  We are specialists in field grown (or bare root) plants which are grown in two ways.  The majority are grown from seed, some are ready within one growing season (seedlings or 1+0's) and some species require two growing seasons (1u1's).  In addition to growing from seed we also grow from small plants or cuttings (transplants) which are much more widely spaced (taking more land, more irrigation water, fertilisers and labour).  There are only a handful of bare root wholesale nurseries in the UK and of those even fewer grow transplants but Ray Jenkins has many years' experience of transplanting so we grow these in large volumes.  Ray has written this blog about the benefits of bare root plants and how they are grown and another blog which gives further detail on bare root specifications.

The detailed specifications are shown below.  If you are in doubt about what specification to use please email us on enquiries@rjtreesandhedging.co.uk with a description of the project (and photos if appropriate) and we will advise you.

1+0 - field grown in one season from seed, known as a seedling (sometimes called a whip), generally a slender single stem plant.   These are the cheapest specification and are particularly suitable for planting where weed competition will be less intense, soil is shallow or on exposed windy sites.  Gives a high root to shoot ratio and minimal plant "check".

2+0 - a 2 year seedling, field grown from seed in the same seed bed in two growing seasons where the species cannot be grown to a saleable plant from seed in one season

1U1 - 2 year old plant called an undercut, field grown for two seasons in the same seed bed and undercut by machine (a sharp blade cutting the roots under the soil level) after the first year to develop the root structure. We do this with several species which take 2 years to develop (eg oak, beech, hornbeam)

1+1 - 2 year old plant (transplant) grown from seed in the first year and then transplanted into a different area of the field and spaced out for the second growing season - a robust plant with a larger and more robust root system than seedling or undercut plant which will enable it to better withstand drought and weed competition. Often the best choice and the staple norm for farm hedging and this specification is a requirement of the Countryside Stewardship Grant

1+2- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two growing seasons giving a tall, stocky, bushy plant

2+1- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further growing season, giving a strong bushy plant

3+1 - as above but field grown for a further growing season for more height and a very bushy plant

1+3- 4 year old, one year field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for three years, giving a very strong, bushy plant

2+2- 4 year old, two years field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two years - a very mature plant suited to certain species like beech and hornbeam where we can offer almost instant hedging

and some that are a bit different.....

P9 - a plant grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel in a 9cm pot (for holly which germinates poorly in the field)

Cell grown - a plant grown in small deep cells (like a small yogurt pot) and then lifted out of those for transportation. Commonly used in forestry and large hedging projects.  Very high quality plants with excellent success rate.  See our blog on the benefits of cell grown plants.

C+1 or C+2 - a 3 or 4 year old plant initally started as hardwood cuttings grown on for a year as cell grown plants and then lined out in fields to grow on for a further 1 or 2 years (a technique used for Cherry Laurel)

0/1 - a hardwood cutting, then field grown for one season (for example for white willow, black poplar and osier)