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| Sorbus aucuparia
European mountainashCulture: Well-drained, loamy, acidic soils are best for this species, as it is often short-lived in any other condition. Fireblight and borers are often fatal to this species; while white galls, cankers, rusts, scabs, aphids, mites, and scale can often leave the plant looking tattered and sick. Usage: When I worked at the Morton Arboretum, this was probably the plant that I saw coming into the plant clinic most often. Specimens often had leaves turned entirely orange with rust, and although it certainly added a splash of color to the landscape, the trees were often close to death. They should not be planted with any idea of permanence -- diseases and insects will kill it within 15 years. Otherwise, it does make an attractive small tree, especially in autumn when the orange-red fruit cover the plant in pendulous clusters. |
