Pick and choose for the right rowan for the right place

Although high winds and driving rain have now stripped them of their crinkle-cut leaves, most rowans are still plain to see, especially when they have bright orange berries, as is the case with the most popular of the family, Sorbus aucuparia.

It's an adaptable tree, able to make the most of various soils and situations, and it self-seeds like mad. So, if you decide to grow one, expect its offspring to sprout up in the most unlikely places.

But there's far more to the family than just S aucuparia – there are varieties with red berries, white berries, yellow berries or, if you're really brave and are willing to search for and spend a bit more on something rather special, brown berries in the shape of S meliosmifolia, which hails from China.

If you want red, then S hybrida 'Gibbsii' should fit the bill. This is one tough tree, with lovely foliage as well as those long-lasting berries. However, be warned, it might be classified as small but it demands more room than the average rowan.

And there's Sorbus americana, which has clusters of small white flowers in May to June, and then red, showy fruits ripening in September. It's also described as a small tree, but it can actually reach 40ft.

For white berries, there's none better than S cashmiriana. It comes, no surprise, from Kashmir.

For yellow, 'Joseph Rock' is king. Not only does it have beautiful berries, but in autumn its foliage can put on a show to rival a maple going out in a blaze of glorious colour.

It's named after an Austrian-turned-American plant collector who scoured China, collecting thousands of plants.

There are numerous other varieties, so anyone wanting to grow a rowan is likely to be spoiled for choice. Just pick the best for the site.

YP MAG 27/11/10