Hi Winterfell, a native plant nursery in the Kerrville area specializes in Madrones. See link below.

Years ago I bought one from Medina Nursery:

http://medinagardennursery.com/gallery1/

But although I followed all the suggestions for growing it I couldn't keep it going. They are pretty picky about their growing conditions. I love this tree and would like to hear if anyone has had success in growing purchased trees.

Rainbow Gardens sells another very attractive variety of madrone. I took some pictures of theirs and will try to find them and the name. The only thing that held me back from buying was concern about it's hardiness should we have a very cold winter. However, RG on Thousand Oaks has one growing to the far left of their main entrance. It's along the drive way that leads to the big double gates where the nursery receives and unloads plant shipments if you want to take a look. I think San Antonio Botanical Gardens has this Mediterranean variety growing there. 'Phoenix' Joey, who works there, can probably tell us.

Here is a link that might be useful: Natives of Texas

There is a very large Madrone growing near the road on Hwy. 16 between Park Rd. 37 and Bandara from which you might be able to collect seeds. The link below gives some hints on how to get them to germinate. It's not easy and the tree is very slow growing.

I posted pictures of the tree on this Texas Gallery Post:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/txgard/gal0313523425809.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Madrone tree ... be sure and read the comments below the article ...

This post was edited by roselee on Wed, Jul 23, 14 at 12:50

Here's the madrone tree at Rainbow Gardens. Thought I had taken a photo of the plant name, but couldn't find it.

We do indeed have a Madrone growing on our property. Its near the handicapped parking. In addition, I have personally seen Madrones growing along Garner State Park's hiking trails.

I haven't been to the botanical garden in years i need to go back. I've seen the rainbow garden madrone. I live pretty much down the street.

If you're sure it is Mediterranean that could mean arbutus unedo (which should be perfectly cold hardy here). Unless by Mediterranean they mean Canary Islands, which has a madrone. Most plants from the Canary Islands are not frost hardy at all. Next time im there I'll ask about it.

I have several, maybe 20 madrones on my land. Most are fairly small. My neighbor has some 20' ones but mine are about 10 ' at most.

They are very picky and good luck on transplanting them. They like Glen rose limestone , NO CLAY. The site below has descriptions of rehabilitating 300 madrones on a ranch with detailed descriptions of process.. Bob Harms is the King of Madrones. The seeds need to be planted fairly fresh. My seeds will not be ripe till December.

The area north of 290 on the edge of the Pedernales valley high up on the ridge, is where they like. They don't like the low limestone down by the river. They like the high young limestone at 1300' above sea level and above in my area. I think the microbial life is very distinct in that limestone layer.

The yellow green mass of foliage on the right hand side below the live oak crowns is one Madrone. Below that are some details.

{{gwi:389769}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Madrone page

How about this unique specimen in England! Naturally, we consider this to be the best tree in Cambridge (in a city full of fabulous historic and iconic trees). We regularly leap out of the truck to pay homage to it. My eldest and myself, rapt in admiration.

Brilliantly, this tree is not in one of the famous colleges, nor the renowned botanical garden, but in a council house - low cost social housing for people who were unable to afford mortgages (as myself).

Campanula, This behemoth could be another species of Madrone. I know that many of the others are much more acceptable of varying conditions. I can't tell the difference in many of the madrones. A. mienziesii of california and the PNW gets BIG and likes sandy soils and coastal conditions of California, to BC and might do England better than the Texas one ( A. xalapensis). There are a lot of varieties in California. I am not saying this is not a Texas Madrone. The Strawberry tree has been available in the trade for a while and is much less picky and that is still picky.. Literature has it that it does not like urban conditions so this is a great job to keep this going. It is a beauty regardless and deserves all the praise that is loaded on it. Be careful around its roots. There are all sorts of stories in the Texas Hill Country about how groves of Madrones are all interconnected and one should not do any digging around them. Some people take this to the extreme. I am very careful about my digging. I almost killed it trying to get a weed tree out grom right by it with poison, what a idiot I am. I had not discovered "remedy" and ringing a tree with poison. i sprayed the leaves and the drift got on a it when it was about 3 foot high. God I was sick..

There is an area north of Henley that has a huge amount of madrones . I looked at one 5 acre piece that Madrones were the Dominant species. They were mostly small but it was a forest of Madrone. I bet it is taller and gorgeous now, if the buyers have not mowed it down and planted a Mcmansion and lawn on it.

There are also some Arbutus that are native to southern Europe. I don't know much about them.

here is another picture of our madrone, It was shin high when we moved in 12 years ago. I found it still alive after the building of the shop. Amazing. The deer have probably kept it nipped to the ground. because it shot up. I suspect that they had quit a developed root system related to the height. I took this picture this morning. I need to protect my smaller trees from the deer. The picture below was taken right after I enlarged the cage in January. It has now put on a big flush of leaves that has NOT been chowed down by those tiara wearing rats in high healed shoes with the entitlement complex. It is looking MUCH healthier.

Camp, that is one beautiful Madrone, whatever the variety! Wow! Thanks so much for posting the photo!!!

Mara, the small tree growing at Rainbow Gardens and the one they offer for sale is, I think, commonly called 'Strawberry'; a name which comes from the appearance of the fruit. I remember that much of the name. Hmmmm ... maybe I should use my Rainbow Garden bucks for a 'strawberry' madrone after all.

Your tree is beautiful! Thanks for being guardian/protector of the madrone trees you've found. There are just way too many "tiara wearing rats in high healed shoes" eating up a bunch of Texas' best ornamental trees!

Joey, is this the madrone tree growing at the S.A.B.G.? Jolana, Tammy and I were trying to figure out what this beautiful tree was when we visited a few years ago. It wasn't labeled and we were fascinated!

It's growing on the left as you enter the reception area. I don't remember what kind of parking was near, but it stands to reason it would be for the disabled since it it near the entrance.

I think they have labeled many of the Madrones "strawberry tree". Does anyone know how large A. undo gets? Some arbutus act like a low prostrate ground cover. Las Pilitas of California carries several varieties.

This one gets large . It is a cross of A. uneda and something else. It gets large.

Here is a link that might be useful: A. uneda 'marina'

More interesting reading about this Marina cross

Here is a link that might be useful: Arbutas Marina vs. Madrone

Mara, those are very interesting links! Thank you for posting them.

Thanks to Winterfell's question we are getting a great education on Madrone trees!

Mmm, arbutus unedo is not uncommon in acid soils around the UK - they especially thrive on the wet Atlantic coastal areas in Wales, Devon and Cornwall and Eastern Scotland where the gulfstream influence prevails (even more astonishing to find this tree on our chalklands . Another is relatively common arbutus is A.arachnoides which does not grow as large as our Cambridge tree.

I find myself getting a serious craving for interesting bark (although I would avoid the eucalypts), the Chilean myrtle, luma apiculata is on THE LIST for sure.....and prunus serrulata and salix alba chermesina and........

Arbutus unedo is a comparable size to xalapensis i think. But there is a compact form in cultivation.

I'm seeing madrones everywhere!!! I guess there are other trees with reddish peeling bark, but starting with the 5th photo down several of the trees on this blog look very much like madrones.

Here is a link that might be useful: Alternative Eden blog w/ photos from Portland Blogger's Fling ...

Roselee that's a madrone also. The madrones we have here sadly don't have any fruit on them.

they are very cool trees but absolutely will not tolerate the salt. I had one that struggled and finally gave up in hurricane Ike.

Tally HO!