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'King James' Mulberry Tree | Morus nigra
An old English variety with a royal pedigree
Grown by John
South Downs National Park
The highlights
- Large crops of rich and succulent berries
- A lovely ornamental tree with heart shaped foliage
- Crops from August to September
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
Description
- A spreading, medium sized tree with heart shaped foliage which starts off bright green and turns golden yellow in autumn
- Produces large crops of succulent dark red mulberries with a superior flavour Harvest between August and September
- Small fluffy green catkins add extra interest in May and June
- A fully hardy, self fertile tree which requires very little maintenance
- This mulberry is descended from the last remaining tree that was planted during the reign of King James I, at what is now known as the Chelsea Physic Garden. The original tree no longer stands (it was felled to make way for an air raid shelter in the Second World War), but fortunately cuttings were taken, and this is one of its descendents
- Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit
- Our trees are professionally pruned before dispatching.
What To Expect
Supplied as:
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Tasting notes:
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Self fertile:
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How To Grow
Good pest and disease resistance
Generally very resistant to pests and diseases. Watch out for mulberry leaf spot - it looks like irregular brown or black spots on the leaves and can affect the fruit yield. Treat by pruning out affected branches and disposing in the general waste, not compost.
Water well when first planted
If you’re planting in spring or summer, water well for the first few months. Increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If planting in autumn, you may only need to water a little.
Full sun
Prefers a sheltered spot with at least 6 hours of sunlight daily
Any fertile, well-drained soil
Prefers fertile well draining soil. Can also tolerate clay soil but you will need to take some steps to improve drainage, such as mixing in fine horticultural grit or perlite to the surrounding soil when planting.
No feeding required
This tree gets all the nutrients it needs from the soil ?v=1613300929
Planting Calendar
- Best time to plant
- Harvest
- Flower
South Downs National Park
Meet John
110 years' expertise free with every tree
John’s family have been growing trees in the South Downs National Park for over a century, and it shows. Dug up and sent straight to your garden at between 18-36 months old, their quality rootstocks, expert pruning and natural pest control mean that these traditionally field-grown trees are the hardiest you can get.
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Growing with Roots
Good to know
Our plants are grown in the UK
Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.
Our plants are delivered overnight
Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 24 hours.
We're here to help at every step
We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team of experts.
Perfect plants, guaranteed
We’re confident that you’ll be delighted with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee you’re perfectly happy.
See our nursery
How we grow your trees
Meet John, our expert tree grower in the South Downs, and see how he raises, prunes and packs all our trees.
Learn from our experts
How To Plant a Tree: Potted Trees and Bare Root
Digging deep to answer your questions
How do I know I'm getting quality plants?
All of our plants are grown in specialist nurseries with the highest standards of plant care and sustainability. We guarantee you'll love them as much as we do! Don't just take our word for it - we've got thousands of great reviews on Trustpilot.
When will I get my plants?
The delivery timescale for each plant is on the web page (near the 'add to basket's button). You'll receive a dispatch email with an exact delivery date once your plants are on their way, so you can get the garden ready.
How will my plants be packed and delivered?
We send all of our orders through a courier network designed to handle plants. Specialist equipment ensures that no plants will be damaged during the packing process and every order is carefully finished and checked by plant-loving humans. Your plants will arrive in the most sustainable packaging possible with minimal to no plastic used.
Where do you deliver?
We deliver to anywhere in Mainland UK for our standard delivery cost. We are able to deliver most plants to Highlands and non UK mainland however this will be at an additional cost. This will be calculated at the checkout. Please note, deliveries to these locations will take longer. Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver to Northern Ireland at present.
Ask the grower
One of our trusted growers will get back to you via email within 24 hours
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Excellent delivery and service
Well, the delivery was spot on, the tree looks healthy enough for a sleeping plant, although at the moment most of the branches are on one side of the trunk which in itself is bent banana-style. quite wonky. One can only hope that it grows into a fruitful plant with some character?
30 January
Nice sized tree in good condition
Time will tell on the quality of the product (bare-root apple trees), but the stems that arrived seemed in great condition and very well packaged so no damage in transit. Looking forward to Spring!
Ange
Appears v healthy
Very happy with purchase
Ms Arlene Bocking
Lovely tree
So happy with my purchase of my Braeburn Hillwell apple tree from Roots Plants. It arrived promptly, well packaged and in a good, healthy condition. I soaked it for an hour before planting and it's doing well. Looking forward to our home grown apples, in time.
Ms Arlene Bocking
It has picked up now and is growing well
It arrived in a heat wave and looked a little bit sorry for itself when planted out but it has picked up now and is growing well.
David Osborne
Good service all round
Arrived on time as the seller said it would and the courier gave me a time slot to track my parcel. It came well packaged and was of good quality for this time of year. It looks a good and healthy tree and will be planted up in a few weeks after the ground has been prepared. I’m pleased with my purchase.
Helen