Horse Chestnut Trees

• Common name: Horse Chestnut, Conker Tree
• Latin name: Aesculus hippocastanum
• Sold as: Bareroot standards of 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth
• Mature size: More than 12m tall and more than 8m wide, over 20 to 50 years. Only suitable for large gardens
• Flowers: Creamy-white candles in May. Each flower has a yellow spot that turns red with age
• Conkers: Yes, in large spiny cases
• Leaves: Large, with 5 to 7 leaflets, turning red-brown early in autumn
• Shape: Large and broad-crowned
• Best soil and site: Any well-drained soil, chalk included, of any pH. Sun or partial shade
• Native: No. It comes from the Balkans
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H7, hardy in the severest British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

The Horse Chestnut is the Conker Tree: a large, broad-crowned tree with creamy-white candles of flower in May and spiny cases of conkers in autumn. It grows more than 12 metres tall in any well-drained soil, is only suitable for large gardens, and is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

Horse Chestnut Trees

Everyone knows the Common Horse Chestnut or Conker tree, Aesculus hippocastanum, with its lovely big spires of pink-eyed, white flowers that cover the tree in early summer. It has big, deep green, lobed leaves that remind me of a splayed (giant) gecko's foot and turn a dirty, rustic amber colour in Autumn.

Large and spreading, suitable only for parks and big gardens, they can reach a height of about 30-35 metres and spread up to 25 metres across.

Browse our variety of large trees for your garden or view our full range of trees.
You can also buy younger horse chestnut saplings.

Delivery season: Horse Chestnut 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. Our standard trees are measured by the girth of the trunk in centimetres, one metre above the ground, not by their height.

Growing Horse Chestnut Trees

Any well drained soil, tolerates temporary flooding in winter. Full sun or partial shade. Young trees can manage in deeper shade as long as they grow up into sunnier conditions. Tolerant of pollution.

Planting Companions

The White Horse Chestnut is the double-flowered form that sets no conkers, and the Red Horse Chestnut is the hybrid with rosy-pink candles. Both are in our Chestnut collection with the Sweet Chestnut, a different tree altogether and the one with edible nuts. 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 Horse Chestnut 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 big does a Horse Chestnut grow?

The RHS gives it more than 12 metres in height and more than 8 in spread, reached over 20 to 50 years, and says it is only suitable for large gardens.

When do conkers fall?

In September and October. This is the Conker Tree itself, so it sets them; the White Horse Chestnut is the form that does not.

Is the Horse Chestnut native to Britain?

No. It comes from the Balkans, and the RHS does not list it as a native. It is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list all the same.

Which Horse Chestnut has no conkers?

The White Horse Chestnut, 'Baumannii'. Its flowers are double and the RHS lists its fruit as not developing, so there is no conker litter under it.

Why do Horse Chestnut leaves turn brown in late summer?

Usually a leaf fungus or the leaf-mining moth. Both are unsightly but fairly harmless. Rake up and remove the fallen leaves in autumn. Our articles on leaf blotch and canker say more.

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.