King James 1st mulberry trees

King James 1st mulberry trees for sale

King James 1st is a traditional English mulberry, dating from the reign of James 1st in the 17th century. It is also widely known as Chelsea.

It remains the most popular of mulberries, and is notable for the flavour of the fruits. These are a black/red colour, and should ripen in the middle of the mulberry season - around the end of August in southern England.

How to grow

Mulberry trees are self-fertile, easy to grow, and tend not to suffer from diseases. They are hardy trees and will grow in almost any situation, but you will get the best results if you can plant in a sunny open spot.

King James is fairly precocious by English mulberry standards, and you should start getting mulberries after about 4-5 years or so, with full production after about 7 years.

Mulberry trees grow slowly but steadily - the tree should get to around 5m-6m high after 10-15 years.

As with all mulberry trees, pruning is best avoided and is rarely necessary.

Keep the tree well-watered over spring and summer for the first 2-3 years after planting, and feed regularly until the tree has established.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

The original King James mulberry tree was planted in Chelsea in the 17th century during the reign of James I - and it is often known as the Chelsea mulberry for this reason. This tree survived until the Second World War, when it was cut down to make way for an air raid shelter, however cuttings were taken from which new trees have been propagated.

King James 1st characteristics