Perfectly happy plants, or your money back
Specialist overnight plant delivery
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:
Height on arrival:
Eventual height:
Eventual spread:
Time to first crop:
Habit:
Hardiness:
Self fertile:
Uses:
Rootstock:
Spacing:
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
- 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.
Learn from our experts
Forced Rhubarb: A Step-by-Step Guide
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 team will get back to you via email
What customers say about us
We do our best to provide you the best experience ever
Best plants you will ever get online
I have ordered plants from them twice this year. They arrived well packaged, on time and looked strong and healthy. I feel the staff from Roots plants deal with their plants and customers with passion and care. I can’t wait to order again, price is good as well.
Peter Mawer
Highly recommended all round
Delivered quickly, perfectly packaged and the tree was in excellent condition. Really healthy and taken to the garden with no problems. Can't recommend highly enough. 5 stars isn't enough!
John Harris
Satisfied customer
Unlike other online sellers, this company are well ahead in the quality stakes. My plant arrived promptly as per their promise and the plant was much more established and healthy than I had expected. It’s the second time I have ordered from them and I have faith in their promise. Excellent service.
Karen McEwan
A really good quality tree
A really good quality tree, delivered on time and very well packaged. But the emailed planting advice and supporting information was what really impressed me. Thoroughly recommended.
Martin C Simmons
Exceptional quality
The quality of the plants was exceptional, unlike ones I have had before from local garden centres. Thank you so much. I will definitely be using you again.
Sara Bradley
Marvelous!
Marvelous service, great plants and fast delivery. Very useful information on how to care for the plants I bought. Easy to use website that makes it far too easy to overindulge in fabulous plants😂🌱
Cheryl Mae Owen