European Larch Sapling Trees

Larix decidua: Bareroot Common European Larch Trees in Standard Sizes

The European Larch tree, Larix decidua, is a deciduous conifer, a large, graceful specimen tree that looks lovely in early spring, when the first new leaves and bright little pink-red female cones appear at the same time. The needles are richly scented and turn rusty orange in the autumn.
Mature trees produce large numbers of miniature cones with seeds that feed several bird species, and the thick, scaly bark is good for insects. The old cones stay firmly on the branches for several years, which is handy for making Christmas wreaths.

To 30-35 metres with a very narrow habit with young, spreading to a pyramid.
You can also buy Japanese Larch to create a wild looking group of trees.
Browse our large garden trees, or all of our trees.

Delivery season: Larch trees are delivered bareroot during late autumn and winter, approximately November-March inclusive.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they are best for a big planting project. If instant impact is your priority, or if you are only buying a few plants for use in a place where it is convenient to water them well in their first year, then you may as well use bigger ones. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Features:

• Height: To 30-35 metres
• Deciduous conifer. Looks good interplanted with evergreen ones
• Vivid spring foliage, pink catkins
• Attracts birds
• Soil: Any well drained except chalk. Full sun
• Bareroot delivery only: November-March

Growing Larches

Wet sites or chalky soil are not suitable. Larches are vigorous, light hungry trees that will shed old, low down branches if they are in the shade too much.
Your trees can reach 45 metres, but about 30 metres is the norm.

European larches of Alpine origin seem to be susceptible to canker and have been replaced in production with other strains of the species from parts of Europe where resistance is high, including trees in Scotland who came from Germany originally. 

Did You Know?

Larix decidua is the only deciduous conifer that is native to Europe, common in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains. It was brought to Britain in the early 1600s and has naturalised widely from forestry plantations. The oldest specimens are near the old cathedral at Dunkeld, planted in 1738, and at Kailzie Gardens near Peebles, planted in 1725.

It was a common timber tree, with durable, rot-resistant softwood, but it has largely been replaced commercially by other species.

Standard trees are measured by their girth in centimetres 1 metre above ground level: their trunk's waist measurement. Unlike sapling trees and hedge plants, standards aren't measured by their height, which will vary quite a bit both between and within species.
So, a 6/8cm standard tree has a trunk with a circumference of 6-8cm and an 8/10 standard has a trunk 8-10cm around. This measurement makes no difference to the tree's final height.
On average, standard trees are 2-3.5 metres tall when they arrive, but we cannot tell you precisely how tall your trees will be before we deliver them.