Scarlet Willow Trees

• Variety: Scarlet Willow, grown for orange-red winter stems
• Latin name: Salix alba var. vitellina 'Britzensis', also sold as Salix alba 'Chermesina'
• Sold as: Bareroot standards, 6/8 and 8/10cm girth
• Mature size: More than 12m tall and 8m wide if never cut. Usually pollarded at 2 to 3m
• Time to full size: 20 to 50 years
• Stems: Bright orange-red on young wood, best in winter
• Pruning: Pollard every 3 to 4 years, or more often for colour
• Position: Sun or partial shade. Exposed or sheltered
• Soil: Moist or wet clay, loam or sand, acid or alkaline
• Planting distance: At least 10m from drains and buildings, and 15m is better
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Scarlet Willow is a vigorous male form of the White Willow whose young shoots glow orange-red through winter. These are large standard trees, made to be pollarded at 2 to 3 metres so that the head is always young, bright wood. Unpruned, it becomes a big tree, and it belongs well away from drains.

Scarlet Willow Trees

The Coral Bark or Scarlet Willow tree, Salix alba Britzensis has fantastic, yellow, red and orange young branches for a great winter display.
This Willow can reach a height of about 20 metres, but is usually pollarded to encourage new growth.

Browse our variety of willow trees or our full range of garden trees.

The trees on this page are delivered as large standards, suitable for pollarding at a height of about 2-3 metres. If you want a lower plant, or to prune it as a coppiced shrub, use our sapling Scarlet Willows.

Delivery season: Willow 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 Willows

Willows thrive best on wet soil in full sun, ideally beside water, but really aren't fussy as long they have enough light. This species likes chalk.

They respond well to pruning, and are perfect for coppicing and pollarding.

History & Trivia

This tree's parent, Salix alba, is native in Britain, and it was raised in Britz, Germany by Ludwig Späth (1793-1883) in 1878. Its new stems look a lot like Cornus sibirica. It is sometimes sold as Chermesina, another name for the same plant.

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 Willow we sell as a tree is the Golden Weeping Willow: that one is the picture by the water, and this one is the winter colour. For more winter stems lower down, plant Midwinter Fire Dogwood at its feet, and for winter bark beside it, see our Birch 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 Scarlet Willow 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

Is Scarlet Willow the same as Coral Bark Willow and Chermesina?

Yes. Scarlet Willow and Coral Bark Willow are common names for Salix alba var. vitellina 'Britzensis', and 'Chermesina' is a synonym. They are one plant.

How big does it grow?

Never cut, more than 12 metres tall and 8 metres wide, in 20 to 50 years. Most people pollard it at 2 to 3 metres, which keeps it to the size of a small garden tree.

How do you pollard it?

Cut all the shoots back to the head of the trunk in late winter. Do it every 3 to 4 years. The colour is on young wood, so cutting more often gives brighter stems.

How far from drains and buildings should a Willow go?

Willow roots seek water and will find a leak in an old pipe. Keep it at least 10 metres from drains, septic tanks, walls and foundations, and 15 metres is more comfortable.

Should you buy a tree or saplings?

A standard tree gives you a clear trunk to pollard at head height. For a low coppiced shrub or a group, the saplings linked above are the same variety.

What soil does it need?

It is an easy, fast-growing tree for sun or partial shade, at its best in moist or wet ground.

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.