Golden Rain Laburnum Trees

• Variety: Vossii, Voss's Laburnum
• Common name: Golden Rain Laburnum
• Latin name: Laburnum x watereri 'Vossii'
• Sold as: Bareroot standards of 6/8cm and 8/10cm girth. Pot-grown standard in a 12 litre pot
• Mature size: 8 to 9m tall and wide
• Flowers: Bright yellow, in hanging chains up to 60cm long, in spring
• Leaves: Deep green, in three leaflets
• Shape: A small tree with a broad crown. It can be trained over an arch or pergola
• Best soil and site: Well-drained soil of any kind, chalk included. Full sun. Exposed, sheltered or coastal
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: Yes (1993)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Vossii is the Laburnum with the longest flowers: bright yellow chains up to 60cm long on a small, broad-crowned tree with deep green leaves. It grows 8 to 9 metres tall and wide in well-drained soil in full sun, trains well over an arch, and has held the RHS Award of Garden Merit since 1993.

Golden Rain Laburnum Trees

Laburnum Vossii, the Golden Rain tree, has much longer (up to 50-60cm) and better flowers than the wild variety, with the same lovely bark and quite dark green leaves for the flowers to stand out against. The flowers are fragrant and good for bees.
Left to grow freely, they can reach a height of about 8 metres and up to the same wide, but they respond well to pruning and can be trained over pergolas.
Browse our other trees.

Delivery season: Laburnum 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 Golden Rain Laburnums

This hardy tree needs a well-drained and reasonably fertile soil in full sun to thrive. They tolerate urban pollution well.

If they need pruning, aim to do it between the end of summer to December, otherwise the tree will bleed a lot.

Rabbits love young Laburnum, so you must use a tree guard if there are any in your area.

History & Trivia

Laburnum alpinum and L. anagyroides naturally hybridise in the wild, and to the best of our knowledge the Laburnum x watereri cultivars are derived from plants selected by Knap Hill nurseries in the mid 1800's.
This one was bred in 1875 by C. de Vos in Holland (de Vos means 'the fox').

All parts of the Laburnum are poisonous. Because this variety is mostly sterile, it does not make many seeds.

There is a famous Laburnum arch at Bodnant Garden in North Wales.

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 classic partner is Wisteria, trained with Laburnum over the same arch or pergola. As a free-standing tree, it sits well with our Flowering Cherries and Crab Apples, and you can browse more trees of its size among our small garden 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 Laburnum comes bareroot, lifted while dormant, or pot-grown for planting in any month. Bareroot trees are guaranteed for 12 months, and so is a potted tree delivered leafless between November and March.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does a Golden Rain Laburnum grow?

8 to 9 metres tall and wide. It makes a tree with a broad crown.

Can you train Laburnum over an arch or pergola?

Yes. It responds well to pruning, and Vossii's long flower chains are the reason it is the Laburnum used for arches and walks.

When should you prune it?

Between late summer and early winter. Laburnum bleeds sap if you cut it in spring, so leave it alone until the summer is over.

What soil does it need?

Any well-drained soil. It grows in chalk, clay, loam and sand at any pH, in full sun, and tolerates exposed and coastal sites.

How long are the flowers?

Up to 60cm. They hang in bright yellow chains against deep green leaves, each made of three leaflets.

Do young trees need protection from rabbits?

Yes, if you have rabbits nearby. They go for young Laburnum, so fit a tree guard when you plant.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot trees are delivered from November to April, while they are dormant. Pot-grown trees can be delivered and planted in any month when you find them in stock.