Red Alder 40/60cm (Cell)
Alnus rubra
£13.55
The Red Alder, Alnus rubra, is a fast-growing deciduous tree known for its reddish-brown bark and ability to improve soil conditions. It features ovate leaves, attractive catkins in early spring, and a conical to columnar shape that becomes more rounded with age. This hardy, adaptable tree is perfect for quick establishment of woodland, screening, or as part of naturalistic garden designs.
- ✓ Fast-growing tree with distinctive reddish-brown bark
- ✓ Produces attractive golden catkins in late winter to early spring
- ✓ Excellent for improving soil conditions through nitrogen fixation
- ✓ Ideal for quick establishment of woodland, screening, or naturalistic gardens
- ✓ Quality UK grown stock from Yarrow Gardens - DEFRA Registered Supplier
In stock - Usually dispatched within a few days
The Red Alder, or Alnus rubra, is a fast-growing deciduous tree native to the Pacific Northwest of North America. It’s known for its rapid growth rate and ability to improve soil conditions, making it a valuable pioneer species in both natural and cultivated settings. The tree gets its common name from the distinctive reddish-brown colour of its bark, which becomes more pronounced as the tree matures. Its leaves are ovate to elliptical, with serrated edges and a dark green colour that turns yellow in autumn before falling.
Red Alder typically grows to heights of 20-30 metres in its native habitat, though it may be smaller in cultivation. It has a conical to columnar shape when young, often developing a more rounded crown with age. The tree’s relatively short lifespan (typically 60-100 years) is offset by its rapid growth, making it an excellent choice for quick establishment of woodland or screening.
One of the most interesting features of Alnus rubra is its catkins. Male catkins appear in late winter to early spring, hanging in long, golden clusters that provide early interest in the garden. These are followed by female catkins which develop into small, cone-like structures that persist on the tree through winter, adding textural interest to the landscape.
Gardeners and foresters often choose the Red Alder for its ability to improve soil conditions. Like other alders, it fixes nitrogen in the soil through a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in its root nodules. This makes it an excellent choice for poor or disturbed soils, where it can help prepare the ground for other plants.
This alder works well in various settings, from large gardens to reforestation projects and urban landscaping. Its fast growth makes it useful for creating quick privacy screens or windbreaks. In naturalistic garden designs, it can be used to recreate woodland edge habitats or as part of mixed native plantings.
For gardeners and landscape designers looking to add a fast-growing, ecologically beneficial tree to their outdoor space, the Red Alder is an excellent option. Its attractive bark, interesting catkins, and ability to improve soil conditions make it a valuable addition to any suitable large garden or landscape project.
Caring for a Red Alder is relatively straightforward, especially given its adaptable nature. Plant it in a spot that gets full sun to partial shade. It prefers moist, well-drained soils but can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions, including poor or waterlogged soils. Water regularly when it’s first planted to help it establish. Once settled, it’s quite tolerant of both wet and dry conditions but will appreciate deep watering during prolonged dry spells, especially in its first few years. You don’t need to feed it often – its nitrogen-fixing ability means it can thrive in poor soils. Pruning isn’t necessary to maintain its shape, but you can remove any dead or damaged branches if needed. Keep an eye out for any signs of leaf discolouration or dieback, which could indicate stress or disease. The Red Alder is hardy in most parts of Britain but may appreciate some shelter from strong winds in very exposed sites.
Ultimate height
Higher than 12 metres
Time to ultimate height
20–50 years
Ultimate spread
4–8 metres
Season of Interest
Spring, Summer, Autumn
Sunlight
Partial Sun
Pot Size
Cell
Foliage
Deciduous
Foliage Colour
Yellow/Green
Hardiness
-15°C to -10°C (H5)
When MatureWatering
Moderate
Preferred Soil Type
Any well drained soil
Our deep cell trays are a smart strategy for cultivating trees with strong and deep root systems. This leads to healthier and more resilient trees that are better prepared for transplantation and long-term growth in your garden.
Extended Planting Season
Cell grown trees offer a significantly broader planting window, allowing for planting almost year-round in certain conditions. This flexibility ensures easier scheduling and enhances tree establishment due to warmer soil and more favourable weather conditions, extending beyond the traditional planting season.
Robust Root System
The roots of cell grown trees are encased and safeguarded within compost, preventing the young fibrous roots from drying out or sustaining damage. This intact root system, with its uniform and manageable shape, facilitates straightforward planting.
Convenient Storage
These trees can be effortlessly stored outdoors before planting, eliminating the need for labour-intensive temporary planting (heeling in) or costly refrigerated storage.
Ease of Handling and Planting
The extended shelf life of cell grown trees means there’s no immediate urgency to plant. Their user-friendly root system increases the likelihood of successful planting. These characteristics make them ideal for planting by novices or volunteers.
High Survival Rate
The intact root system of cell grown trees significantly boosts their chances of successful establishment, virtually removing the need for expensive replanting (beating up).
Cost-Effectiveness
While the initial purchase price of cell grown trees may be slightly higher than bare-root stock for some species, the long-term savings achieved by reducing the need for replacing failed transplants than compensates for the initial minor cost difference.
No plastic waste
Trees are often supplied plastic pots that are difficult to recycle, especially the black pots. We rely on our customers to reuse these where possible, however these cell grown trees do not have plastic pots – saving any reuse & recycling concerns.
Delivery
Yarrow Gardens aim to have your order with you in fastest time possible and safest method of transport. Dependent on the parcel size and geographical destination in mind with will select the most suitable courier.
You are welcome to collect any times from our nursery in Euxton, Lancashire. Please contact us to arrange a suitable date and time.
With regret, we can no longer send items out to Northern Ireland. All live plants need a phytosanitary checks and DAERA must be notified. This process is simply too expensive at the moment.
Returns
In the rare instance that your item has been damaged during delivery or incorrectly shipped by us, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss the return and replacement of your item.
Once you have contacted us and we have confirmation that your parcel is on its way back to us we will be happy to issue a refund for the return postage.
Delivery Class | Delivery Cost | |
---|---|---|
Royal Mail Letter - Royal Mail Tracked | £3.25 (Flat) | |
Royal Mail Letter - Royal Mail Second Class | £0.95 (Flat) | |
Royal Mail Large Letter - Royal Mail Tracked | £3.25 (Flat) | |
Royal Mail Large Letter - Royal Mail Second Class | £2.10 (Flat) | |
Standard Items - Standard Courier (Parcelforce) | £7.95 (Flat) | This item |
Standard Items - Standard Courier (Evri) | £4.49 (Flat) | This item |
Medium Items - Standard Courier (Parcelforce) | £7.95 (Flat) | |
Large Items - Pallet Courier | £90.00 (Flat) | |
Large Items - Standard Courier (Parcelforce) | £28.95 (Flat) | |
Large Items - Standard Courier (Parcel Force) | £24.95 (Flat) | |
Pallet Courier - Pallet Courier | £90.00 (Flat) |
We are a small family business based in Euxton, West Lancashire. We specialise in the supply of trees, shrubs both bare root & cell grown. Much of our stock is grown directly on site from seed or cuttings. Other stock is all UK sourced where possible.
We adhere to industry leading biosecurity measures, this ensures that our nursery remains clean and disease free.
We are DEFRA registered and our nursery is regularly inspected to confirm compliance with all current plant and plant health regulations.
Our Plant Passport Registration Number is GB140010
You can view our Plant Healthy report here.
We are actively working towards the Grown in Britain certification along with the Plant Healthy certification.
Should you have any concern or question in respect of our plant health matters, please get in touch.