The strawberry tree starts to flower in early autumn and continues with a scattering of flowers right through winter. The red strawberry-like fruits ripen during winter a year after the flowers.

It seems strange behaviour to be flowering at such an unseasonal time of year and then to ripen fruit in winter. The reason is simple – this is a Mediterranean tree, one of a small group of Mediterranean plants that found their way to Ireland as the last Ice Age retreated north.

Often called the Killarney strawberry tree because it is widely seen in south Kerry, this geographic concentration offers a clue as to the hardiness of the arbutus. As a young plant, it is prone to frost damage, but quite resistant when mature, probably because the bark thickens with age.

It seems to get started under natural conditions with a bit of cover from taller trees overhead. But it can also be seen growing in rocky places, often quite exposed to strong winds and showing damage in the most windy places.

Usually seen as a large bush or small tree, it is capable, occasionally, of reaching to over 10 metres tall.

The strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, gets its common name from the rounded orange-red fruits that resemble strawberries, but it is not related to the edible strawberry. The fruit is dry and insipid to taste. The tree makes a rounded shape as a young plant, eventually extending upwards in a cone-shape.

As an old tree, it often loses the lower limbs and has tall clear stems. The trunk is brown and rough, stringy but not peeling very much. The rough bark sets off the glossy dark-green leaves very well, and the foliage in turn sets off the white flowers and orange-red fruits nicely.

The flower bunches are carried on a short drooping stem, clear of the leaves, and the fruits that develop, dangle in the same way. The flowers are shaped like small cow-bells, usually white but sometimes pink, as in Rubra. The flower shape points to it being part of the heather family, which includes many good garden plants such as rhododendron, pieris and enkianthus as well as heathers.

Flowers and fruits at the same time make for a very good decorative tree, along with the lovely evergreen foliage. It should be tried in reasonably mild gardens, always planted where the frost will flow down the slope away from the tree and on very free-draining ground. If the roots are waterlogged in wet soil in winter, the tree dies.

Planting a specimen of good size will assist in getting it established. It needs to be planted in a sunny position and to have all weeds and grass controlled over an area of at least one metre diameter, until well established.

The Greek strawberry tree, Arbutus andrachne, is also a fine tree but even less hardy and generally only seen in tree collections. However, its hybrid, Arbutus andrachnoides, with the Killarney strawberry tree is more common and was planted quite a lot in gardens of the late 19th century. This is a bigger tree with beautiful peeling red bark, not stringy like its parent.

The foliage is good too and it flowers right through autumn and winter. Like its Killarney parent, it is tolerant of lime in the soil, which is unusual for a heather family plant. It is hardy enough in coastal areas and perhaps under high tree cover further inland. It is well worth a try.

Late colour nasturtiums

Long a popular flower in rural gardens, nasturtium is worth growing for the colour it offers in late summer and autumn. It usually keeps going to at least some extent until frost kills the stems and leaves. Overnight the whole plant collapses, the damage of a night’s frost is plain to see. However, the seeds of nasturtium are covered with a corky layer that acts as insulation. Leave the withering stems in place for a couple of weeks after frost damage to allow more seeds to reach ripeness and these seeds will give rise to plants that will flower next year.

Flowers

Conditions are ideal now for sowing hardy annual flower seeds. Buy and plant spring bulbs as soon as possible. Conditions are perfect with heat in the soil and adequate moisture to encourage rooting immediately. Spring bulbs need a few months to make extensive root growth.

Fruit, veg and herbs

Conditions are ideal for planting spring cabbage, which benefits from making root growth while there is still a little heat in the ground. Remove old crops. Over-mature cabbage, cauliflower and other vegetables pull out easily when the soil is soft. Take the opportunity to clear out weeds.

Lawns

There has been good growth of grass. Keep on mowing as necessary – there is a second peak of grass growth at this time of year and it is invaluable for thickening up the grass sward before winter. Apply autumn lawn fertilizer or a low N, high K product to strengthen grass before winter.

Trees, shrubs and roses

Conditions have been excellent for the growth of trees and shrubs this summer – a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers. Roses have responded with a lot of secondary growth that is flowering now. However, many rose plants suffered badly with blackspot disease. Prune ramblers that are over.

Greenhouse and house plants

Greenhouse tomatoes are coming in strongly but, generally, growth is winding down. Be careful not to over-water. Water should be given on the basis of need and soil and compost should be just moist. Ventilate the greenhouse on dry, breezy days.