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Davidia involucrata

Pocket Handkerchief Tree

£108.00

Large white flower bracts. Orange-brown peeling bark. Shiny, heart-shaped, felted leaves. Read more

Attributes

  • Deciduous
  • Tree shape: Spreading
  • M Size: Medium
  • Leaf colour: Green
  • Flower colour: White
  • Pruning not necessary
  • Open space planting
  • Flowering month: May
  • Attractive bark
  • Fruit for wildlife
  • Tolerates shade
  • Wet tolerant
  • Needs sheltered site
  • Award-winning

Container Options

Size Form Price
Rootstock Size 12L container Form - £108.00
Out of Stock
Full Description

Description: Also known as Pocket Handkerchief Tree. This unique and lovely tree produces beautiful large white flower bracts in May giving the appearance of a handkerchief tree. Conical at first becoming tall with upright branching habit, and orange-brown peeling bark. The foliage is midsized, heart shaped and an attractive green colour, turning shades of orange and yellow in the winter. Young foliage is red/purple in the spring. Small, inedible pear shaped fruits are produced and in the spring the new foliage has a spicy, incense fragrance. It can take up to 10 years until this tree flowers but is still a very special tree and completely worth the wait!

History: The Dove Tree is Chinese in origin. Its seed was collected and brought back to the UK by Ernest Wilson who was on a collecting trip for Kew Gardens in 1901. Probably the finest specimens in the UK is at Kew in London and in the gardens (open to the public) at Hergest Croft on the Welsh borders.

Davidia Growing Tips: Easy to grow in a sheltered position in sun or partial shade, but young specimens may not flowers. Happy on any soil type as well as it's moist but well-drained.

Height and Spread (after 10 years): 6m x 4m

Some FAQs

Tree Care

Your tree will have been pruned prior to despatch so there should be no need to prune straight away. The only exception is a bare root maiden which will not have been pruned. Some varieties will benefit from being pruned later – please see the variety specific information.

We would advise watering your tree when planting and then regularly during the first summer in the ground. Thereafter the level of watering will depend on the soil and weather conditions. It is best to not let young trees dry out.

A free booklet with simple instructions will also be included with your order.

You can also find more information in the ‘Advice’ section of our website. Click here for ‘How to Plant a Container Tree’ and here for ‘How to Plant a Bare Root Tree’.

Trees should always be planted as soon as possible. The only exception would be bare root trees if the soil is very frozen or waterlogged, in which case heel the trees in until the ground is ready. Bare root trees must be planted before new growth appears in spring, this is usually in March.

If your tree is to be kept in a container, then we’d advise repotting into a larger container as soon as possible. Please check to see whether the tree is suitable for a pot before purchasing.

Delivery

Yes, you can collect the trees from the nursery. Please select the ‘Collect’ option when placing the order. We will email you as soon as your order is ready for collection, we will then need at least two working days to prepare your order.

The delivery charge is calculated according to the number of boxes needed to send the trees. One container grown tree will need one box; bare root trees vary but we can usually get about three in a box. The total delivery cost will be shown when you place the order.

We currently do not deliver to any addresses outside of mainland Great Britain.

We will notify you by email when your order has been despatched. It will usually be delivered within three days from notification.

Our boxes are 2 metres tall and 30cm square.

We are unable to offer a scheduled delivery service as we cannot guarantee an exact delivery date. We can aim for a specific week if you let us know.

Our courier company will leave the package in the safest place if there is no one there, so there is no need to sign for the delivery.

Container grown trees are available from August and bare root trees are available from November. We always aim to deliver your order as soon as every item is ready for despatch.

If the whole order is ready when purchased, it usually takes between 5 and 10 working days to arrive.

See below for a guide on when bare root trees are usually ready for despatch.

Early November – Two year old plums, cherries, apples and then pears.
Late November – One year maiden plums, cherries, apples and then pears.
Late November/Early December – Ornamental prunus, sorbus, thorns, malus and then pyrus. 

This is an estimate as the lifting of bare root trees is very weather dependent.

Returns

If you are unhappy with your tree when it arrives, please email sales@fpmatthews.co.uk within five working days and we will get back to you as soon as possible.