Field Maple Trees

• Common name: Field Maple, Common Maple, Hedge Maple
• Latin name: Acer campestre
• Native: Yes. Britain's only native Maple
• Sold as: Bareroot standards at 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth
• Mature size: More than 12m (40ft) tall and 4 to 8m wide, over 10 to 20 years
• Shape: Round headed, with a compact, bushy crown
• Autumn colour: Yellow, sometimes red
• Best soil and site: Fertile, moist but well-drained soil, chalk included. Sun or light shade. Takes an exposed site
• Pruning: Only from late autumn to midwinter
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS Plants for Pollinators: Yes
• Delivered: Bareroot only, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Field Maple is Britain's only native Maple, a round-headed deciduous tree with small lobed leaves that turn yellow in autumn. It grows to more than 12 metres in any fertile, well-drained soil, chalk included, takes an exposed site, and is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

Field Maple Trees

The Common Field Maple is a round headed native tree with twiggy branches, useful for tall screening or as part of a windbreak. The young wood has distinctive corky ridges running along its length, providing grooves for insects and spiders to lay their eggs. In spring, the bright green leaves appear at about the same time as the small, insignificant flowers, which are popular with bees. The mature leaves are deep green and then turn a glorious, mellow orange-yellow in autumn. The seeds are winged "helicopters", called samara, which mature from green to a maroon-ish red.

Field Maple can reach a height of about 15-25 metres. It's rare for them to grow to over 20 metres, but it's possible on fertile, sunny, sheltered sites.
Standard trees are the largest size that we deliver; you can also buy Field Maple hedge plants.

Browse our other Maple varieties, or all of our trees.

Delivery season: Maple 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 Field Maples

This hardy tree will grow almost anywhere, except on very acidic or really dry soil. Suitable for exposed locations except on the coast. It thrives on chalk and doesn't mind winter waterlogging.
It tolerates urban pollution well, and dappled shade cast by taller trees.

Avoid pruning in late winter / early Spring, because it'll bleed sap.

History & Trivia

It is a great bonsai tree. The wood polishes very well and used for small, high quality items like musical instrument parts. It is good firewood.

The tallest on record in the UK was 25 metres tall in 2007, located at Kinnettles Castle in Angus. The widest on record may be a cheat, and actually be several trees fused together; either way, it is a whopping 16 metres around, and lurks in Hatfield Forest, Essex, which is the last remaining small, medieval royal hunting forest, pretty much untouched since the end of the 11th century.

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

Three named Field Maples keep the species' toughness in a tidier shape: Elsrijk has a neat conical crown, Streetwise is an upright street tree, and Royal Ruby has red-purple spring leaves. For a native planting, see our other native trees and the Hawthorns. 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 Field Maple comes as a bareroot standard, lifted while dormant, and like for like a bareroot tree is larger and better value than a potted one. It is guaranteed for 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does a Field Maple tree grow?

It grows to more than 12 metres tall and 4 to 8 metres wide, over 10 to 20 years. Few exceed 20 metres, and then only on fertile, sheltered ground.

Is Field Maple native to Britain?

Yes. It is the only Maple native to Britain. Sycamore and Norway Maple were both brought here.

Does Field Maple have good autumn colour?

Yes. The leaves turn yellow, sometimes red, in autumn. We would call the usual colour a mellow orange-yellow.

Will Field Maple grow on chalk?

Yes. It grows on chalk, clay, loam and sand, so long as the ground is fertile and drains. It dislikes very acid and very dry soil.

When should you prune a Field Maple?

Only between late autumn and midwinter. Cut it in late winter or early spring and it bleeds sap.

How tall is a standard Field Maple when it arrives?

Standards are graded by girth, not height. On average a standard tree is 2 to 3.5 metres tall on arrival. Bareroot trees are delivered from November to April.