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Expertly Grown in the UK
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'Fulton's Strawberry Surprise' Rhubarb Plant

Voted best flavoured rhubarb!

Grown by John

South Downs National Park

3 Bare Root Crowns

£16

Out of stock

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The highlights

  • Tart and subtly sweet
  • Incredibly vigorous
  • Stew and serve with fresh custard
  • Harvest in spring

Description

  • Rhubarb is one of those fruits (well, technically vegetables...) that tastes good, but also looks *great* in the ground, too!
  • With its striking red stalks, attractive lobed leaves and (most importantly) fantastic taste, 'Fulton's Strawberry Surprise' is a variety that's garnered a lof of attention since first entering the horticultural scene. In fact, in trials carried out by RHS Wisley, it was voted as the best flavoured rhubarb
  • Hardy and very easy to grow, you can plant your rhubarb in the open ground, a raised bed or even in a large pot on your patio
  • Your rhubarb stalks will be ready to harvest from late spring to early summer, and can be used in a whole variety of ways in the kitchen; from Dad's homemade crumbles to super-sticky jams, or simply stewed with some sugar and eaten with a big dollop (or three) of cream or custard
  • Alongside its stellar performance in RHS Wisley's trials, this variety is also a recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) - one of only three rhubarb varieties to have been awarded this prestigious accolade
  • Just a quick note - only eat the stalks as rhubarb leaves are poisonous to both humans and pets (they're absolutely fine to whack on the compost heap, though)

What To Expect

Supplied as:

3 bare root crowns

Height on arrival:

Eventual height:

60-100cm

Eventual spread:

60-100cm
Spreads approximately 60-100cm.

Time to first crop:

2 years
While you can harvest your rhubarb in the first year after planting, we'd recommend waiting until the plant's second year before you start harvesting. Leaving it alone in the first year will help encourage stronger growth.

Habit:

Bushy
Each plant will form a bushy clump of stalks and attractive lobed foliage.

Hardiness:

Hardy
H5 - This hardy rhubarb variety will survive temperatures down to -15°C.

Self fertile:

Self fertile

Uses:

Stewing, roasting and poaching

Rootstock:

Spacing:

75cm
Plant 75cm apart to allow for spreading.

How To Grow

Good pest and disease resistance

When growing rhubarb, there are a couple of problems to look out for. Crown rot is caused by soil or water borne fungi or bacteria, and leaves plants looking sickly, failing to grow properly and rotting at the crown. This can spread to the stems and leaves, unfortunately causing the plant die. You can reduce the risk of crown rot by watering only when necessary, and doing so at the base of the plant. Slugs and snails can also attack young seedlings as well as the leaves of larger, more mature rhubarb plants. Surrounding your plants with a physical barrier (like crushed eggshells) will help keep them off.

Water well when establishing

Water well when new to help your plant(s) establish. After that, you will only need to water in extended hot, dry periods in summer (or if you're growing your rhubarb in containers).

Full sun to partial shade

Rhubarb grows best in full sunshine but will still grow nicely enough in a bit of shade.

Any moist, well-drained soil

You want soil with good drainage but that still retains some moisture when it comes to planting rhubarb. You'll also want to plant the crown so that its tip is peeking out just above the soil.

Feed every spring

An application of all-purpose fertiliser in spring can help your rhubarb plants on their way. It's also worth mulching in spring, using something like straw or well-rotted manure (but try not to cover the crown directly).

Planting Calendar

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  • 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.

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