Red Horse Chestnut Trees

• Variety: Briotii, the Horse Chestnut with deep pink flower spikes
• Common name: Red Horse Chestnut
• Latin name: Aesculus x carnea 'Briotii'
• Sold as: Bareroot standards at 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth
• Mature size: More than 12m (40ft) tall and wider than 8m, over 20 to 50 years
• Shape: Compact and round headed
• Flowers: Bright rosy-pink, in upright spikes to 20cm long
• Conkers: Few spines on the husk
• Best soil and site: Any well-drained soil, chalk and clay included. Sun or partial shade. For a large garden, park or avenue
• Hardiness: H7, hardy in the severest British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot only, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

The Red Horse Chestnut 'Briotii' is a large, round-headed deciduous tree with bright rosy-pink flower spikes up to 20cm long. It grows to more than 12 metres in any well-drained soil, in sun or partial shade, and suits a large garden, a park or an avenue.

Red Horse Chestnut Trees

The Red Horse Chestnut, Aesculus x carnea 'Briotii', is a beautiful large tree (but smaller than a normal conker) and its flowers are red, pink and orange tutti-frutti coloured cones that contrast well with the handsome, dark green leaves.
It's a round headed tree that is ideal for avenue planting, reaching a height of about 15-20 metres.

Browse our selection of large trees, or our full range of trees.

Delivery season: Red 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. All our bareroot trees are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Growing Red Horse Chestnut Trees

They'll grow in any well drained soil, but aren't recommended for especially dry locations in the sense that they're quite drought tolerant as long as they're growing in fertile soils.

History & Trivia

Aesculus x carnea 'Briotii' is a hybrid of the European Common Horse Chestnut and an American chestnut known as Red Buckeye, Aesculus pavia. To the best of our knowledge, it was bred in France in 1858.

They typically will not flower for up to about four or five years after planting, perhaps longer in less than ideal conditions, so do not be concerned about that.

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

Its parent, the white-flowered Common Horse Chestnut, makes the obvious pair: red spikes beside white. For an avenue, Greenspire Lime is the other classic choice. There are more trees on this scale under trees for ornamental interest. Dust the roots with Rootgrow as you plant, and look at our tree planting pack before you order.

Why Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Red Horse Chestnut 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 Red Horse Chestnut grow?

The RHS gives it more than 12 metres in height and more than 8 metres in spread, over 20 to 50 years. We have always said 15 to 20 metres, smaller than the Common Horse Chestnut.

Is it suitable for a small garden?

No. The RHS says of every Horse Chestnut that it is only suitable for large gardens. Briotii is the most compact of ours, and it is still a big tree, so give yours room.

What colour are the flowers?

The RHS calls them bright rosy-pink, carried in upright spikes to 20cm long. Seen close, there is red, pink and orange in each spike.

Does a Red Horse Chestnut have conkers?

Yes. It is a hybrid of the Common Horse Chestnut and the American Red Buckeye, and it fruits. The RHS notes that the husks have few spines.

How long before it flowers?

Expect your tree to wait four or five years after planting, and longer where conditions are poor. That is normal for this tree and nothing to worry about.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. On average a standard is 2 to 3.5 metres tall when it arrives.