DescriptionDelivery & Guarantee
Japanese Larch - Bareroot Sapling Plants
The Japanese Larch tree, listed as either Larix kaempferi or Larix leptolepis, is a deciduous (non-evergreen) conifer. It has a really vibrant autumn colour that lasts for a few weeks, as the needles take some time to fall. It looks really bright in spring, when the needles are grass green and the branches are studded with small, creamy young cones and male flowers. In areas where canker is a problem for the European Larch, this disease resistant tree is usually planted instead.
You can also buy Hybrid Larch and European Larch from our nursery to give some variety to a group of larches.
Japanese Larch is often used as a nurse tree for other, slower growing trees. The wood burns very poorly and strips of Japanese Larch are sometimes planted to act as a barrier to forest fires. The timber is mostly used for wood pulp and also for rot-resistant outdoor furniture.
Growing Japanese Larch Trees
Chalky soil is not suitable. Your trees are happy in exposed, wind blasted places and at altitude. They love a moist soil, although we don't recommend planting them in low-lying areas that are waterlogged; their native range are mountains where rainfall is very high but drainage is good. Larches are vigorous trees that need plenty of light to look good. They will tolerate quite a lot shade, but they will grow sparsely and look disappointing.
Your trees will reach about 30 metres.
Larix kaempferi's wild range is a just small part of Honshu, the central island of Japan. Their Japanese name is Karamatsu. It is now grown all over the world in temperate regions and has been used in British forestry since about 1860. The name kaempferi is in honour of the German scientist Engelbert Kaempfer, who visited Japan for a few years in the 1680's and 90's. Apart from a handful of ports, the country was closed to foreigners during this period, so his visit was exceptional and his writings were some of the only information that Western world had about Japan until the Americans forced the country to open up in 1854.
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 plants die within a year, we replace them if you have followed our instructions. You only pay for
the delivery of the replacements.
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 March. 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 most bareroot plants is £9.49 + VAT.
If your order contains any standard sized trees, fruit trees or pot-grown plants, then the delivery charge is £12.55 + VAT in TOTAL.
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.