Mountain Ash / Rowan Sapling Trees

• Variety: Rowan or Mountain Ash, the native berry tree, as young saplings
• Latin name: Sorbus aucuparia
• Sold as: Bareroot saplings, from 40/60cm to 150/175cm tall
• Use: Screening, woodland and wildlife planting. Not a plant for a clipped hedge
• Mature size: More than 12m tall and 4 to 8m wide
• Native: Yes
• Flowers and berries: White flowers in late spring, then orange-red berries in early autumn
• Autumn colour: Red or yellow
• Best soil and site: Acid to neutral soil that is moist but drains well. Sun or partial shade. Stands exposure
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Rowan, or Mountain Ash, is a native tree with white flowers in late spring, bunches of orange-red berries in early autumn and red or yellow autumn leaves. These are young bareroot saplings for screening, woodland and wildlife planting, and the cheapest way to plant Rowan in number.

Mountain Ash / Rowan Sapling Trees

Sorbus aucuparia is known as the Mountain Ash Tree or Rowan Tree. It's a hardy native plant that thrives on any soil except chalk. Sorbus aucuparia isn't suitable for a clipped hedge but it can be grown as a screening tree up to about 15 metres high.
The plants on this page are young saplings; buy larger Sorbus aucuparia trees instead, or browse all Rowan varieties.
Browse native trees & hedging or all hedging plants.

Bareroot saplings are only delivered during winter (Nov-April).

Choosing a size:
When you are ordering a large quantity of Sorbus aucuparia for a big planting project, we suggest that you buy the smaller, 60/80cm tall plants. They're cheaper than large plants, easier to handle and more likely to cope well with poor conditions.
All of our young trees and shrubs are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

General description of Rowan Trees:

Rowan trees, called Mountain Ash in some parts, are a small to medium-sized, deciduous native. Not quite a hedge plant, it's a good tree for taller screening. It produces white flowers in June followed by large bunches of red berries that are very popular with birds. In autumn the foliage turns a warm mixture of yellows, reds and pale browns.
Rowan is a very hardy tree that will grow on exposed hillsides with poor, rocky soil. However, it's shaped easily by the wind. Rowan trees in sheltered sites can top 15 metres in height, but trees on wind blasted slopes will become twisted, shrubby looking plants.

History & Trivia

Aucuparia is a Latin word related to catching birds, indicating that bird catchers would use this tree's berries to lure their prey.

Planting Companions

Rowan is one of our two native berry trees, and Hawthorn is the other: plant it and Blackthorn as native hedging below your Rowans. Whitebeam saplings are close relations for chalk, where Rowan struggles. For a bigger tree from day one, buy a standard Rowan. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Native Trees?

Hedging and young native trees are not a sideline here: your Rowan 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

Is a Rowan the same as a Mountain Ash?

Yes. They are two names for one native tree, Sorbus aucuparia. It is no relation of the true Ash: the name comes from the look of its leaves.

Can you grow Rowan as a hedge?

Not as a clipped hedge. Plant it as a tall screen, in a shelter belt or in a native mix, and let it grow as a tree.

How big does a Rowan grow?

It reaches more than 12 metres tall and 4 to 8 metres wide, in 20 to 50 years. On a windy hillside it stays much smaller and more twisted.

Will Rowan grow on chalk?

Poorly on thin soil over chalk. It wants acid to neutral soil that is moist but drains well. Whitebeam is the better choice for chalk.

Which size of sapling should you buy?

For a large planting, the 60/80cm size. Small saplings cost less, are easier to handle and cope better with poor conditions than larger plants.

Why were Rowans planted by front doors?

To keep witches out. Red was the colour that beat magic, and each berry carries a small five-pointed star. In Scotland it was taboo to cut a Rowan down.

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.