- Facts about mountain ash
- Tips for planting in the garden
- Care of mountain ash
- use of the berries
- tips and tricks
Mountain ash is also known under the name rowan tree. The red fruits, which ripen on the tree in late summer, are very decorative. It is not for nothing that they are also called rowan berries, because the feathered garden friends love the berries more than anything.
Facts about mountain ash
- Family: Rosaceae
- Age: up to 100 years
- Height: up to 15 meters
- Spread: two meters
- Roots: very strong, sprawling root system
- Flowering period: May to June
- Ready for harvest: from the end of August until winter
Tips for planting in the garden
Find a convenient location. The mountain ash likes it sunny or at least partially shaded. You don't get heat, so it shouldn't be planted in front of walls.
The best time to plant is in the spring after the last frost. In principle, you can plant mountain ash all year round.
Choose a soil that is not too nutrient-rich and must be water-permeable. The rowanberry does not tolerate waterlogging. Provide a root barrier so that the vigorously growing roots cannot spread too much.
Care of mountain ash
Rowan trees require almost no maintenance. The tree grows quite quickly in the first few years, later only slowly.
The rowan develops a translucent crown, so that pruning to thin out is not necessary. The mountain ash is only cut when branches are in the way or diseases have attacked the tree.
Fertilizing is also unnecessary. However, you can lay out a layer of mulch on the tree disc. This provides nutrients to the soil and keeps the soil moist enough so you don't have to water it.
use of the berries
Contrary to popular belief, the bright red berries are only mildly toxic to humans when raw. However, they are so bitter that hardly anyone will eat them raw. Cooking neutralizes the poison.
Delicious jams, jellies and juices can be prepared from rowan berries. Rowanberry brandy is a schnapps made from the fruits of the mountain ash, which is particularly popular in southern Germany.
tips and tricks
Like almost all local deciduous trees, the mountain ash loses its leaves in winter. The berries that grow on umbels, on the other hand, remain on the tree and are valuable winter food for birds.
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