Quaking Aspen / Poplar Trees

• Common name: Aspen, Quaking Aspen, Trembling Aspen
• Latin name: Populus tremula
• Sold as: Bareroot 200/250cm tree and standards of 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth
• Mature size: More than 12m tall and wider than 8m, over 20 to 50 years. Grows very rapidly
• Leaves: Rounded, bronze when young, trembling in the lightest breeze, yellow in autumn
• Catkins: Woolly and grey on male trees, before the leaves
• Shape: A large tree with a broad crown. Suckers
• Best soil and site: Moist, fertile soil of any kind, chalk included. Full sun. Stands exposure
• Where to plant: Well clear of buildings. Good as a screen or in a shelter belt
• Native: Yes
• Hardiness: H7, hardy in the severest British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Aspen is the native Poplar whose rounded leaves tremble in the lightest breeze, open bronze and turn clear yellow in autumn. It is a large, very fast tree, more than 12 metres tall, for moist soil in full sun, and it belongs in open ground, well clear of buildings.

Quaking Aspen / Poplar Trees

The Common European, Quaking, or Trembling Aspen has long, thin leaf stems and broad, oval shaped, leaves with a wavy outline. They wobble even when there is no wind, and begin to flutter in the smallest breeze. It is a native, deciduous tree whose slender trunk has pale, slightly creamy bark, topped with a lollipop shaped canopy. It's noted for supporting a wide range of butterfly and moth larvae.
Before the leaves come out in early spring, male trees produce lovely red and grey catkins that look uncannily like big fuzzy caterpillars. Female trees have plain green catkins that erupt in tiny, white haired, wind-borne seeds: we do not sell female poplar trees because these seeds are a real nuisance.
The Autumn colour is bright, clean yellow.

Old Aspens have an extraordinary suckering habit: there is a famous tree in Wales that has at least a thousand suckering trunks and covers a hectare. It won't be taking over your garden though: the Welsh tree is several centuries old, and the original trunk is long gone. In any case, a thicket of suckers creates a valuable wildlife habitat.

This vigorous tree is for a large garden or open ground, planted well clear of buildings because of its vigorous root system. They can reach a height of about 25 metres.

Standard trees are the largest size that we deliver; you can buy younger Populus tremula saplings.
Browse our variety of large garden trees, or all our trees.

Delivery season: Poplar trees are delivered bareroot from late autumn to early spring, November to April.
Choosing a size: Small trees are cheaper, easier to handle and more forgiving of less than ideal aftercare, so they're 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's 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).

Growing Quaking Aspen / Poplar

Hardy and wind resistant, it needs a lot of sun and really loves a moist to wet soil, but with help it can establish on poor, dry soils as well. White poplar is probably a better choice for shallow chalk

Try not to prune them if you don't want them to start to sucker.

History & Trivia

Also known as the haps tree. Being so light and easy to work, the wood is one of the most common sources of timber for matches, and is good for paper.

The American aspen, Populus tremuloides, is very similar and has the same common names of trembling or quaking.

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.

Planting Companions

On wet ground, Aspen grows alongside the Alders, and the Birches are the other native pioneers with leaves that never keep still. The White Poplar is its naturalised cousin, with leaves white beneath. There are more under native British trees and trees with catkins. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Aspen comes as a bareroot tree, lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Plant it between November and April, and it will establish readily.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far from a house should you plant an Aspen?

Well clear. There is no set distance, but keep it well away from buildings because of its vigorous root system.

Can you plant an Aspen in a small garden?

No. It grows to more than 12 metres, with a crown wider than 8, and it suckers. A sapling of the same species is the same tree, only younger.

Why do Aspen leaves tremble?

The leaf stalks are long and thin, so the broad leaves wobble in still air and flutter in the smallest breeze. That is what the names Quaking and Trembling describe.

Do Aspens send up suckers?

Yes. It can sucker freely; remove them in autumn or winter if you need to. In a wild corner, leave them.

Will Aspen grow in wet soil?

Yes. It grows in moist, fertile soils, poorly drained ground included, on any pH. What it must have is full sun.

How fast does an Aspen grow?

Very fast. It grows very rapidly and is very useful as a screen or as part of a shelter belt. Full size takes 20 to 50 years.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your tree is lifted and sent once the season opens.