Hello everyone. I have been looking for Arbutus unedo 'Compacta' (dwarf strawberry tree) over the Internet for a while now. I would like to buy seeds to grow an indoor individual, since the species is seemingly non-toxic for pets and thus a good choice for. However, the only suppliers I have found are in the UK, and as far as I know, seed importations in Canada are not easy. Would anyone know of a canadian supplier of seeds or, even, grown-up potted individuals which could be delivered to Quebec?
Importing seed into Canada is (usually) easy: country of origin (and in some cases, species) has a lot to do with the relative requirements. Plants and live material is a whole other story. I routinely get seed from the US and the UK, as well as Chile and South Africa with no special requirements: just place the order, and wait for the seed. I've purchased Arbutus unedo seed from the UK in the past, and it's definitely not a problem. That said, 'Compacta' is a common nursery plant here in coastal BC (so common that it's routinely stocked in the seasonal nursery sections of big box retailers) so if you know anyone out here who can ship them to you, they won't be hard to find.
Stock seen offered here under the name is clearly a seed strain to begin with as it is not uniform. True 'Compacta' is supposed to be a shy-flowering dwarf.
Thank you. I took a second look at UK suppliers and found one that did deliver here. I first had some doubts from the fact that those few I found who delivered outside UK explicitely excluded Canada from possible destinations. Sadly, I have been unable to find genuine 'Compacta'. I just hope that the original Arbutus can, with proper pruning and repotting, tolerate a life in a pot.
