Douglas Fir Sapling Trees

• Variety: Douglas Fir, a fast, very tall evergreen conifer
• Latin name: Pseudotsuga menziesii
• Sold as: Bareroot saplings, 40/60cm tall
• Mature size: More than 12m tall and more than 8m wide
• Time to full size: More than 50 years. Fast-growing
• Foliage: Evergreen. Dark green needles in two ranks
• Cones: To 10cm long, with a three-pointed bract showing between the scales
• Use: Tall screens, windbreaks and woodland. Not for a clipped hedge
• Position: Full sun. Exposed or sheltered
• Soil: Any well-drained soil that is not chalky: acid to neutral
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Douglas Fir is one of the great timber trees: a fast, conical evergreen that in time becomes very tall, with thick, rugged bark. Plant it for a high screen, a windbreak or a woodland, in full sun and any drained soil except chalk. It is rated H6 and stands an exposed site.

Douglas Fir Sapling Trees

Douglas Fir trees, Pseudotsuga menziesii, are large and vigorous evergreen conifers. Mature trees in the open have a lush, attractive canopy.

For such a big tree, the Douglas Fir has a fairly compact canopy, with downward pointing lower branches that do a great job of blocking out sight from about 5 metres off the ground when they're mature. Older trees have very thick, corky bark with lovely sinuous ridges.

They're not suitable for a clipped hedge, and can be grown as a tall windbreak and screening tree up to about 55+ metres high.

Delivery season: Firs are delivered bareroot from late autumn to early spring, November to April.

Growing Douglas Firs

They're great for poor soil, as long as the site isn't too dry: British rainfall should be enough for them. As with any tree that grows in dry conditions, it still needs watering to establish.

Planting Companions

For a mixed conifer screen, plant it with Scots Pine and Norway Spruce. If you want a conifer that you can clip as a hedge, Western Red Cedar is the one to use. The rest are with our conifers. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Hedging and Young Trees?

Hedging and young trees are not a sideline here: your Douglas Fir saplings are grown for us by specialist growers. Bareroot plants are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall does a Douglas Fir grow?

Very tall indeed: well over 12 metres, and it keeps growing for more than fifty years. It is a tree for a big space.

How fast does it grow?

Fast. Give it room from the start.

Will it grow on chalk?

No. It wants a well-drained soil that is acid to neutral, in full sun.

Can you clip it as a hedge?

No. It is a screening and woodland tree. It needs little pruning beyond removing a competing leader on a young tree.

How do you tell a Douglas Fir from other conifers?

By the cones. They hang down, reach about 10cm, and have a three-pointed bract sticking out between the scales.

Do the saplings need watering?

In their first year, yes. Once established, ordinary British rainfall is enough.

When are the plants delivered?

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