Will the weeping, fruiting mulberry tree that I have seen thriving further South do well on Vancouver Island, coastal regions, elevation <500 ft, southeast coast (Nanaimo region)? Is it considered an invasive alien? is there any reason not to plant one? how cold-hardy is it (would this last winter, with many nights below -3C, have killed one)? I covet the fruit and the elegant form of the tree but am nervous about spending big bucks on a fairly mature young tree (I have a shot at purchasing one about 6 ft tall) if it will not thrive.
White mulberry (M. alba) is the common one, should have no trouble growing it. Not a weed in this region. Black mulberry (M. nigra) is a rare gourmet variety. I have planted several supposedly different cultivars on Camano Island but have yet to get good establishment from any of them. There is a 20' black mulberry street tree in Seattle, so growth of this tree here is possible. Another good one is the hybrid 'Illinois Everbearing'.
thank'ee kindly for the tip, much obliged. I will have to find out which cultivar is the one I have been offered -- most likely alba. are there any good fruit tree (bare root or potted) nurseries on Vancouver Island? I know of only one source of bare root stock in Nanaimo so far; surely there must be more?
Grimo nut (grimonut.com) in Ontario has the Illinois Everbearing variety, sells them bear root in the mail in spring. I bought a couple, and was very impressed! I haven't noticed them available reliably anywhere closer to date.
My neighbour up at Cultus Lake has a white mulberry tree. It has the sweetest berries. They called it a "berry tree" and an "amore tree" so it took a while to find out that it was a white mulberry. It was at least 12-15 feet tall and looked very healthy. I don't think they did anything to it over the winter. During fruiting season they did put up bird deterants - tinfoil, etc. Apparently the birds love it. I haven't looked yet for a local source (Lower Mainland) but probably will sa I'd like a tree in my backyard now. Linda
Tropic to Tropic has the Illinois Everbearing mulberry in Tsawwassen (http://www.tropic.ca/index.htm). Sadly, it won't fit in my yard. Anyone know where to find a dwarf mulberry tree?
Cant be a problem witk the right provience.I got one here for several years and it develops just great tasty berries and produce over many weeks..i got down to -25*C here from time to time during winter....look att the pics..... http://www.hagegal.no/hagefora/v/album21/2009/?g2_page=8&g2_fromNavId=xe7617bc7
I've got a couple of dozen morus nigra seedlings, overwintered in pots last year, planted in the ground this fall...see how they fare this winter. They germinate readily from seed planted in the spring. For a dwarf variety, I've found morus bombycis 'Unryu' (AKA contorted mulberry, dragon mulberry) to be a good choice: fair yields of good sized fruit, in a compact, contorted tree for smaller gardens.
