Height20-40cm

Decrease quantity Increase quantity

Add to cart

The only native UK conifer suitable for commercial timber production. Picturesque mature form with distinctive orange-brown upper bark and irregular crown. Tough pioneer species that is drought-tolerant, frost-hardy and valuable for wildlife, native woodland creation, shelterbelts and challenging dry or poor sites. 

Key growing conditions

• Full sun (light-demanding)
• Well-drained, preferably light, acidic to neutral soils of low to moderate fertility (tolerates sand, gravel, heathland; grows slowly on peat)
• Avoid alkaline/chalky soils and permanently waterlogged ground
• Drought-tolerant once established; rainfall preference >600 mm
• Fully hardy (H7); wind-firm but suffers in severe exposure; moderate salt tolerance

When to plant

• Bare-root: dormant season (November–March), avoiding frozen or waterlogged soil

How to plant

• Dig a hole large enough for the roots to spread freely
• Plant with the root collar at soil level; firm gently and water if needed
• Space at least 2–2.5 m apart for woodland/timber (approx. 2,500 stems/ha); give more room for specimen trees (mature height 20–35 m, spread 8 m+)
  
• Mulch lightly to suppress weeds (keep clear of the trunk)

Aftercare

• Control weeds and browsing (deer/rabbits) until established (usually free to grow within 5–6 years)
• Minimal pruning needed
• Thrives with little intervention once settled; canopy closure typically 15–20 years

Ideal for native woodland, mixed plantings, dry heathland or eastern sites; less suited to rich fertile soils where form may be poorer.