Anyone try to grow a strawberry tree?

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53834/

Just wondering if this a fairly pest free tree and if you've had any luck with it? I'm thinking of growing it more for looks but I might try to make wine out of the fruit some day.

I planted one March, 2006. It hasn't borne fruit yet but the tree itself is carefree in my area. I didn't realize that it is evergreen until last winter when it was the only green plant in my garden. We had an exceptional drought this summer with over two weeks of temperature over 100 degrees and the driest summer on record. I mulched it but wasn't able to water more than weekly. But the little tree didn't show any sign of stress. I am thinking of planting another one! I am very pleased.

You have the tree in full sun?

It gets full sun in the AM then in summer the maple north of it gives shade. I don't have a pic of just the strawberry tree but you can see it in this photo of the whole garden. The strawberry tree is between the silver and blue ribbons (on which later in summer the passionflowers twine); there is a red ribbon going to the base of the strawberry tree. It is kind of crooked curving to the right of the pic which is north. A silver maple is up on the top of the hill. I am trying to support the tree with a bamboo stick but as I understand it the trunk grows gnarled and curved.

Okay, plant files said it doesn't need much water which is good for a spot I have. Trouble is I don't know if it would take full sun. I have another spot that gets more shade but it gets more water and I would rather fill in the trouble spot. I noticed yours can't be getting that much water on a side of a hill.

Hows yours growing for you? Pretty fast grower? Yes the trunk and branches are supposed to be gnarled so I wouldn't worry that much about staking that up.

It doesn't get a lot of water; it is well-mulched however; there is landscape fabric under the pine mulch on the hillside garden. The site was very eroded with little topsoil, just hard red dirt and rocks jutting up when I moved into the house. Over a couple of years I dumped load after load of composted horse manure onto the slope and finally planted it, put fabric down to prevent further erosion and mulched it with pinestraw. The subsoil is still very poor however yet the tree is doing well.

Since I only planted it 18 months ago it is hard to say how fast it grows; I don't know how long it takes for the roots to get established. Still there has been new growth and no foliar disease or insects that I have seen. Also it appears to be deer-resistant: Since this photo was taken other shrubs and trees show noticable deer browsing damage but the strawberry tree has not been touched.