Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Description:

A slow growing, multi-stemmed selection with interesting grey, furrowed bark; presenting blue green foliage with light green undersides and white flowers on tall stalks; scarlet colored berries are edible and pleasantly sweet, great for fresh eating

Edible Qualities

Red Coastal Milkwood Tree is a large tree that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces clusters of scarlet oblong berries which are usually ready for picking from late spring to early fall. The berries have a sweet taste and a mealy texture.

The berries are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared

Features & Attributes

Red Coastal Milkwood Tree features showy spikes of white star-shaped flowers from early fall to early spring. It has bluish-green foliage with light green undersides which emerges light green in spring. The large oval leaves remain bluish-green throughout the winter. It produces scarlet berries from late spring to early fall. The furrowed gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

This is a multi-stemmed evergreen tree with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Red Coastal Milkwood Tree is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Red Coastal Milkwood Tree will grow to be about 45 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 16 feet. It has a high canopy of foliage that sits well above the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. As it matures, the lower branches of this tree can be strategically removed to create a high enough canopy to support unobstructed human traffic underneath. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This plant is typically grown in a designated edibles garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America..

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.