Red Oak Trees

• Latin name: Quercus rubra
• Common names: Red Oak, Northern Red Oak
• Sold as: Bareroot standard, 6/8cm girth
• Native: No. Eastern North America
• Mature size: More than 12m tall and more than 8m wide
• Habit: Fast-growing, with an open, spreading crown
• Leaves: Up to 22cm long, the biggest of any Oak we grow, turning red or red-brown in autumn
• Best soil and site: Deep, fertile, well-drained, lime-free soil. Sun or partial shade
• Not for: Chalk or limy soil
• Hardiness: H7, hardy in the severest British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Red Oak is a fast-growing North American Oak with an open, spreading crown and the biggest leaves of any Oak we grow, up to 22cm long, turning red in autumn. It needs lime-free soil and the room of a park or a large garden: this is a tree of more than 12 metres.

Red Oak Trees

The Red Oak tree, Quercus rubra, is a magnificent ornamental specimen, growing rapidly on fertile, sunny sites. Mature trees tend to grow into a broad, irregular lollipop shape, with a clear trunk of about 8-10 metres, topped by a wide, rounded canopy. Quercus rubra's blood-red autumn colour is second to none and the pale new leaves are a good counterpoint in spring.
They can reach a height of about 20-28 metres.

Standard trees are the largest size that we deliver; you can also buy younger Red Oak saplings.
Browse our other Oak tree varieties, or all of our trees.

Delivery season: Oak 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 Oaks

They thrive best and produce the most wonderful Autumn colour on fertile soil in a sunny location, but in general aren't fussy and will grow in any lime-free soil with decent drainage and over half a day of sun.
It's hardy, wind-resistant, and suitable for roadside planting in polluted areas. Drought tolerant when well established.

History & Trivia

It is native to the East Coast of North America, up to Nova Scotia, and was introduced to Europe and Britain in the 1720's. It is a good timber tree for quality indoor furniture and structural elements of houses, though it isn't used much for outdoor items because the open grain isn't very water-resistant. It makes good firewood. Pigs and deer will eat the acorns.
This tree's maximum height is not certain: almost all the old Red Oak trees in America were felled by the settlers, leaving only the really gnarled, misshapen trees that weren't useful for timber. One of the biggest specimens in the UK was at Cowdray Park in Sussex, measured at 34 metres tall 1984.

Old botanical Names: Quercus borealis, Quercus digitata.
Other Common Names: Red Oak, Champion Oak, Northern Red Oak

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

The other American here is Pin Oak, narrower and just as firm about lime-free soil. If you garden on chalk, plant Turkey Oak instead. For autumn colour on the same soil, look at our Maples, and for speed, our fastest growing trees. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge?

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

Will Red Oak grow on chalk?

No. It requires lime-free soil, and so does Pin Oak. On chalk or limy ground, choose Turkey Oak or English Oak instead.

How big does a Red Oak grow?

More than 12 metres tall and more than 8 metres wide. Our own figure for a mature tree is 20 to 28 metres, with a clear trunk under a wide, rounded canopy.

How fast does it grow?

Fast, for an Oak. It is a fast-growing tree, and it and Turkey Oak are the quickest Oaks we grow. It is at its best on deep, fertile soil in sun.

How do you tell a Red Oak by its leaf?

By the size and the points. The leaves reach 22cm, and each lobe ends in a bristle tip, where the lobes of English Oak are rounded.

Is a Red Oak too big for a garden?

For most gardens, yes. It suits a large garden, a park or an avenue. For a small plot, buy a smaller kind of tree.

Sapling or standard: which should you buy?

A standard gives you a tree of 2 to 3.5 metres on the day you plant. Saplings cost far less and suit woodland and big planting schemes. We sell both.

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.