Grey Alder | Alnus incana | Bareroot Saplings

Grey Alder Saplings - Delivered by Mail Order from the Nursery with a 1 Year Guarantee

Grey Alder, Alnus incana, is a very hardy tree that loves wet sites and will thrive on poor soil if it is in full sun. It can be used in a rough country hedge, but we really recommend Italian Alder or Common Alder instead for use as hedging. Grey Alder tends to produce a thicket of suckering stems from the base of the tree that are good for supporting wildlife.
Grey Alder trees can reach 30 metres tall in ideal conditions, but 20-22 metres is more normal.
The plants on this page are young saplings, ideal for woodland planting projects. You can also buy larger Grey Alder trees and the ornamental variety, Alnus incana 'Aurea', either of which will give you more of an instant impact in a garden.
Browse all of our other Alder varieties here.

Grey Alder plants are only delivered bareroot, during winter (Nov-March).

Choosing a size:
When you are ordering Grey Alder, we generally recommend that you use plants that are graded at 40/60cms or 60/80cms, especially if you are using them for a hedge. They are cheaper than large plants, easier to handle and they will establish well in poor conditions. Use larger plants if you want a tall tree quickly.
All our sapling trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Spacing a Grey Alder hedge:
Plant Grey Alder hedging at 3 plants per metre, 33cms apart.

General description of Grey Alder plants:
Grey Alder is a very vigorous tree that will grow in any soil apart from chalk or very acidic peat. It needs plenty of sun and although it will grow on dry soil, it really prefers wet sites that are prone to waterlogging. Italian Alder is better for dry sites.
Grey Alder has silver-grey young leaves and shoots and the bark is also grey. It bears decorative, 10cm long, yellow-pink male catkins in early spring, alongside the green female cones, which mature by the autumn. The seed are wind borne, but some small birds will still snack on a few of them. This tree is very hardy and will grow in the coldest Scottish frost pockets or exposed hillsides.
The alders are pioneer species: they are quick to take advantage of open soil, quick to reach maturity and quick to die, by tree standards. After 90-100 years, Grey Alder's main trunk will begin to die back. If its lower stems are in the shade, the whole tree will die. This process is an essential part of woodland ecosystems and alders are often planted as companion trees for other, slower growing plants (like Oak) in forestry projects.
Note on Alder roots: Alder has invasive roots that can break old water pipes and damage the foundations of old buildings or walls. 30 metres away from vulnerable structures is a safe distance to plant Alder. New build, concrete foundations are not at risk.

History & uses of Alnus incana
Grey Alder is a European and Russian tree that was introduced to Britain in the 1700's
Alders are commonly used for improving sites with poor soil (such as closed rubbish dumps and former industrial zones) and helping to protect against soil erosion. Like other Alders, Grey Alder has fibrous roots that hold the soil together and release nitrogen for neighbouring plants to benefit from.
Grey alder wood isn't very strong or good to burn, but it is rot resistant and easy to carve. It is a traditional material for making clogs.

Growing Grey Alder plants:
Grey Alder will grow well in most soils, as long as they are not very alkaline (like chalk) or very acidic (like peat). It needs plenty of sun. It prefers wet sites and will happily grow in boggy terrain or on a river bank. It can grow quite near the sea.
It will not grow well if the site is too acidic or alkaline and they will not grow in the shade. Young plants will tolerate partial shade, as long as they can grow up into better sunlight.

Prepare your site before planting:
Grey Alder is very tough. The only essential preparation is to kill the weeds in a strip a metre wide along the planting site: improving the soil should not be necessary. If your soil is exceptionally poor and dry, then digging in some well rotted manure and/or compost is worthwhile.

Watch our video on how to plant a country hedge for full details. The instruction to cut the plants in half after planting only applies to thorny native hedging and plants in the conservation hedge mix: this isn't necessary for Grey Alder.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass with Roundup weed killer.
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a plastic spiral guard for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser and Growmore.

After you have planted your Grey Alder hedge, the most important thing to do is water it in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Watering should be thorough, so the ground is soaked. Let the soil almost dry out before watering again. Watering & weeding will be necessary for at least a year after planting.

Trimming Country hedge plants: From the winter after planting onwards, your young hedge should be trimmed lightly once every winter, until it is mature. When it is fully grown, you can clip it at anytime. Grey alder isn't suitable for neat, formal hedges; it is too vigorous. A good way to maintain it as a hedge is to let it grow freely one year and cut it back hard the next year.

Special notes on caring for Grey Alder hedges:
Grey Alder is a very tough hedge plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If you didn't use a mulch fabric, it is beneficial to mulch around the base of the hedge each year with well rotted manure or compost.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.

Read our full terms and conditions here.

Delivery: The basic delivery charge for orders of bareroot plants is £9.49 + vat, which increases to £12.55 + vat if you add any pot-grown plants, standard trees or fruit trees to the order.
Because couriers sometimes experience delays, we schedule delivery by week, not by day. Therefore, please plan your planting day for the weekend at the end of the delivery week or for the week following delivery, at the earliest.
You can choose the delivery week that suits you during checkout and we will email you the day before your plants are due to arrive.

Payment: We do not charge your card until we begin to prepare your order for packing.

Guarantee: If any plants die within a year, we will replace them. We only ask that you follow our planting & growing instructions and sent us clear photographs of the dead plants in situ, so we can help to make sure that the replacement plants succeed. You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

Please note that our guarantee is void if there is a hosepipe ban in your area: your newly planted hedging must be watered in dry weather while it is establishing. The best way to water is very thoroughly every few days: at least once a week if there is no heavy rain.

Our nursery has been supplying container grown and bareroot hedging plants to gardeners, farmers and town planners since 1949. Our website started in 2003, so we do understand the concerns that you may have about buying hedging plants online. If any of your plants are damaged when they arrive or if you are otherwise not satisfied with your order after you inspect it, please repackage it and contact us. We will give you a refund or send replacements and send a courier to come and collect the unwanted plants.

Your 12 Month Guarantee

If any of the plants that you buy from our nursery die within a year of delivery, we will replace them.
You only pay for the delivery of the replacements.

We do ask for clear photos of the plants in the soil, both taking in the planting area and close up. These will help us to work out what went wrong so we can give you the right advice for looking after your replacements.

The most important thing to do with establishing plants is to water them in dry weather. Water very thoroughly, but not too frequently: allow the top 2 inches of soil to dry out before you water again. In hot summer weather, this should mean that you are watering 1 to 3 times per week, depending on your site's drainage and exposure to wind and sun.
If there is heavy rain, that counts as a watering for your plants. If there is only very light rain during hot weather, this probably won't be of much use to your plants and they will still need watering.

Weeding is also very important; we strongly recommend using a mulch mat (for trees) or mulch fabric (for hedges) if weeding your new plants will be impractical.

Outside your 1 Year Guarantee period?

If your plants die or get sick after their first year, you are still welcome to take some photos and send them in: we will still be happy to give you what advice we can.
We can't make any promises, but if you want to buy replacements from us, give us a call and we'll see if we can arrange a discount for you.

Place an order for £250 excluding VAT and delivery and we deliver it for FREE!

Bare-root Plants are only delivered in the winter season, from November to April. Pot grown plants can be delivered all year round

Advantages of Bare-root plants:

You pay less for the same size plants.

You can carry and plan them easily.

You only plant them in winter, so they need less maintenance after planting. The rain will water them for their first few months.

You get the biggest selection: Many trees are not sold pot-grown.

They are "asleep" in winter - this is the best time to transplant any tree.

They use fewer fertilisers & fungicides, less water and fuel in their production & delivery.

Advantages of Pot Grown plants:

Pot grown plants can be delivered & planted all year round.

Plants with tender roots & larger specimens must be delivered in pots.

Plants in pots can be kept for months longer if there is a delay in planting.

Our Advice to You:
If you can't wait to get planting, order Pot grown plants now.
If you are not in a hurry, order bare-root plants for delivery this winter. Simply add them to your basket and choose a winter delivery date that suits you during checkout. This will reserve your plants before they sell out.
We won't charge you until the day before delivery, so cancelling your order is always easy.

If you are only ordering chemicals and other small items, delivery is £3.50

Our delivery charge for all other orders is £6.50 + VAT.

If you live in the Scottish Highlands or the Isle of Wight, there will be an extra charge of £15 + VAT on top of the appropriate basic charge, as listed above.

If your order is over £250 exc. VAT, there will be no delivery charge.

If you are uncertain, just add items to your basket which will calculate the basic shipping charge for you.