Morus alba 'Macrophylla' | White Mulberry Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
White mulberry

Morus alba 'Macrophylla' | White Mulberry

£14.99
Very hardySun-loving
Pot size
15cm / 1.5L £14.99

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Description

Large-leaved white mulberry. Morus alba 'Macrophylla' is a vigorous, deciduous mulberry prized for its unusually big, glossy, heart-shaped leaves and generous canopy. In time it makes a broad-crowned tree, and the fresh green foliage gives white mulberries their lush, almost tropical look through summer. Small greenish catkins in late spring are followed by soft, raspberry-like fruits.

Hardiness and seasons. This is a fully hardy tree, rated H6, so it copes with cold winters right across the UK. It comes into leaf a little later than many trees, puts on strong summer growth, then colours softly and drops its leaves in autumn. Young plants appreciate shelter from cold, drying winds while they settle in.

How and where to grow. Give it a sunny, sheltered spot in fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. It is relaxed about soil type and takes chalk, clay, loam or sand. Allow room for it to spread, as the crown broadens with age, and keep young trees watered through dry spells for their first few seasons.

Living with it. Mulberries dislike hard pruning and can bleed sap if cut in spring, so keep any shaping light and do it in late autumn or midwinter when the tree is fully dormant. The ripe fruits are edible but soft and staining, so bear that in mind if you plant near paving or seating. Left to its own devices it asks for very little.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for White mulberry

Plant me in full sun and the coldest UK winters do not worry me.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About White mulberry

Morus alba 'Macrophylla' | White Mulberry needs full sun and moist but well-drained soil. It is very hardy, standing the coldest UK winters outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H6): down to around −20°C. Hardy through a very cold winter.

Fully hardy across the UK, around H6. Shelter young plants from cold, drying winds while they establish. Read moreShow less

Fully hardy across the UK, around H6. Shelter young plants from cold, drying winds while they establish.

Position

Full sunSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered
Full sun in a warm, sheltered position for the best growth and fruiting. Read moreShow less

Full sun in a warm, sheltered position for the best growth and fruiting.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Tolerant of chalk, clay, loam and sand. Read moreShow less

Fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. Tolerant of chalk, clay, loam and sand.

Watering

Keep young trees watered through dry spells for their first two or three summers, then they largely look after themselves. Read moreShow less

Keep young trees watered through dry spells for their first two or three summers, then they largely look after themselves.

Mature size

Height12m or more
Spread4 to 8m

Reaches full size in 20 to 50 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

May to June · Green

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Prune only when fully dormant in late autumn or midwinter, and keep it light. Cutting in spring or summer causes heavy sap bleeding.

Toxicity

Ripe fruit is edible. Unripe fruit and the milky sap can cause mild stomach upset and skin irritation in some people, so it is best not eaten unripe.

Native range

China, long cultivated across temperate Asia and Europe

Family

Moraceae

Also known as

Morus alba 'Macrophylla' | White Mulberry

Genus

Morus
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes 'Macrophylla' different from an ordinary white mulberry?

The clue is in the name. 'Macrophylla' has notably large, glossy leaves, which give it a bolder, more architectural presence than the species. It is also listed under the name 'Platanifolia', which is treated as the same plant.

Can you eat the fruit?

Yes, the ripe fruits are edible. White mulberry fruits tend to be soft and mild, a little less sharp than black mulberries. They are best picked fully ripe, as unripe fruit and the sap can upset some stomachs.

How big will it get?

It is a proper tree in the long run, capable of topping 12m with a broad crown of 4 to 8m. It reaches that size slowly over decades, so allow it space rather than expecting it to fill the garden quickly.

When and how should I prune it?

As little as possible, and only in the depths of winter when it is fully dormant. Mulberries bleed sap freely if cut in spring or summer, so any shaping is best kept light and done cold.

Will it cope with my soil?

Almost certainly. It grows happily on chalk, clay, loam and sand as long as the ground is not waterlogged, and it prefers a sunny, sheltered spot.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Morus alba 'Macrophylla' | White Mulberry
£14.99