Norway Maple Trees

• Variety: Norway Maple, the species
• Latin name: Acer platanoides
• Sold as: Bareroot standards, 6/8 and 8/10cm girth
• Mature size: 20 to 30m tall
• Time to full size: 20 to 50 years
• Flowers: Scented, yellow, in clusters on bare branches in spring
• Autumn colour: Yellow, sometimes orange
• Position: Full sun or partial shade. Exposed sites, but not the coast
• Soil: Almost any, including clay. Not peat, shallow chalk or very poor, dry soil
• Tolerates: Pollution and some winter flooding
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H7, hardy in the severest British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Norway Maple is a big, tough tree for a large space: 20 to 30 metres tall, with scented yellow flowers on bare branches in spring and yellow leaves in autumn. It grows in almost any soil, clay included, takes pollution and exposure, and is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

Norway Maple Trees

The Norway Maple, Acer platanoides, is a large, upright tree with good autumn colour that is vase shaped when young, spreading into a round crown as it ages. Its small, yellow green flowers appear slightly before the leaves break in spring and attract bees. The Autumn colour is variable from impressive yellow to quite muted marmalade orange.

They can reach a height of about 25 metres, potentially more in a wood.

We only sell this tree as a standard, not as younger saplings. You can also buy two ornamental varieties: Drummondii and Crimson Sentry.

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

Growing Norway Maples

This hardy and unfussy tree will grow in almost any soil apart from peat or shallow chalk, and it won't thrive on very poor, dry soil. It loves clay and although it won't grow in wet soil, it doesn't mind a bit of winter waterlogging or flooding. It's quite shade-tolerant and totally pollution resistant.
It's suitable for very exposed locations, but not on the coast.

Other plants generally don't grow under it due to the shade it casts and the dense root system.

History & Trivia

This tree has been naturalised in Britain for a very long time. Its native range is all over Europe. The first written account of it here is from 1683, when young trees raised in Holyrood Palace were transplanted to a garden in Edinburgh by George Sutherland.

You could tap mature trees for their sap in early Spring (a sunny day after frost is best) as you would a sugar maple, but it is much less sweet.
The hard wood has a fine grain but is not strong enough for structural uses; it is mainly used for cabinets and other indoor furniture.

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

Norway Maple is one of the three big European Maples, with Sycamore and our native Field Maple. For more trees of this size, see our large garden and parkland trees. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Garden Trees?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Norway Maple 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 Norway Maple grow?

Very big: 20 to 30 metres tall, and more in a wood. It takes 20 to 50 years to get there.

Is Norway Maple safe near horses?

It is not one of the Maples known to harm horses. Those are Sycamore, and the Red, Silver and Freeman Maples.

Will it grow in clay?

Yes. It likes clay, and it does not mind some winter waterlogging, though it will not grow in wet soil.

Can you grow plants under it?

Not many. It casts heavy shade and has dense roots, so little grows beneath it.

Is it native to Britain?

No. It is native across Europe, but it has grown here for a very long time. The first record of it in Britain is from 1683.

Will it grow by the sea?

No. It takes very exposed sites, but not the coast.

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.