English Oak Bare Root (Quercus Robur)
The English Oak is Britain's most iconic native tree, renowned for its majestic stature and incredible longevity. This bare root specimen offers excellent value and establishes readily when planted during the dormant season. Perfect for creating a lasting legacy in your garden, this noble tree will provide wildlife habitat, seasonal beauty, and shade for generations to come.
Key Features
- Native British species – perfectly adapted to our climate
- Long-lived – can thrive for 500+ years
- Wildlife magnet – supports over 2,300 species of insects, birds, and mammals
- Seasonal interest – fresh spring foliage, summer shade, golden autumn colour, and architectural winter silhouette
- Low maintenance – once established, requires minimal care
- Bare root format – economical and environmentally friendly, available November to March
Growing Conditions
- Soil type: Tolerates most soil types, including heavy clay; prefers deep, fertile, well-drained soil
- Position: Full sun to partial shade
- Hardiness: Fully hardy (RHS H7)
- Aspect: Any
- Moisture: Moist but well-drained
Size & Growth
- Mature height: 20-40 metres (though can be pruned to manage size)
- Mature spread: 10-20 metres
- Growth rate: Slow to moderate (30-60cm per year when young)
- Time to maturity: 20-30 years to significant size
Planting Your Bare Root Oak
When to plant: November through March, whilst the tree is dormant and the ground isn't frozen
Planting tips:
- Soak roots in water for 2-4 hours before planting
- Dig a hole twice the width of the root system
- Plant at the same depth as the soil mark on the stem
- Backfill with native soil mixed with well-rotted compost
- Stake securely for the first 2-3 years
- Water thoroughly after planting and during dry spells in the first year
- Apply a mulch around the base, keeping it clear of the trunk
Care & Maintenance
- Water regularly during the first growing season to establish deep roots
- Remove competing weeds around the base
- Prune only if necessary, ideally in late autumn to winter
- Once established (after 2-3 years), the tree is largely self-sufficient
Wildlife Benefits
English Oaks are absolute champions for biodiversity:
- Support more wildlife than any other native British tree
- Host hundreds of insect species, including purple hairstreak butterflies
- Provide acorns for birds, squirrels, and other mammals
- Offer nesting sites and shelter for countless bird species
- Support lichens, mosses, and fungi
Ideal For
- Large gardens and estates
- Wildlife gardens
- Creating a long-term landscape feature
- Specimen tree planting
- Woodland creation
- Commemoration planting
Things to Consider
- This is a large tree that needs plenty of space – plant at least 20 metres from buildings
- Not suitable for small gardens unless planning to manage its size through regular pruning
- Takes time to reach maturity – plant for future generations
- May produce acorns after 40+ years, which can create ground litter
Why Choose Bare Root?
Bare root trees are lifted from the field during dormancy and supplied without soil around the roots. This traditional method offers several advantages:
- More economical than container-grown trees
- Better root development and establishment
- Lower carbon footprint (no plastic pots or compost)
- Available during the optimal planting season
Plant an English Oak today and create a living monument that will grace your garden for centuries to come
For protection from pests consider Spiral Rabbit Guards or Tree Shelters.
Please see our bare root plant guides for more information. We've put together a collect of help and advice articles covering what bare root plants are, why they are a good choice, which plants are available bare root, when and where to plant.
Deciduous plants supplied bare root during the dormancy period will not have any leaves at this time; top growth will just be brown and twiggy to start with and will come into leaf in the spring. This is perfectly normal. The plants we supply are healthy will an extensive root system. Please see the final picture for an illustration of how your plants will look when they are delivered.
Bare Root is usually dispatched between early November and late March. Exact dates vary year to year depending on the weather. We cannot guarantee availability for a certain date at the beginning or end of the season.
Important Bare Root Care
As soon as you receive your bare root plants place the items upright in a bucket of clean water immediately leaving them for at least 2 hours. Only take plants out as you need them for planting.
Q: When is bare root season?
A: Our bare root season usually runs from November to March but it can depend on the weather conditions, we'd always recommend buying at the end of autumn rather than waiting for spring.
Q: Does the plant size include the roots?
A: No, all bare root plant sizes quoted exclude the roots.
Q: What size plants will I receive?
A: Stock size varies through the season, our 'Plant Size' are give as a guide and you will receive plants somewhere in that range. We are unable to specify exactly how tall the plants will be within that range.
Q: How old will the plants be?
A: Most of our 'Plant Sizes' include the age of the plant, this is shown as a sum e.g. 1+2 which in this case would indicate that the plants are 3 years old. The first number is how long the plant has spent in the seedbed and the second is the number of year it has spent lined out in the field. Where the sum starts with a 0+ this indicates that the plants were grown from a rooted cutting.
Q: Can I get a discount for bulk purchases?
A: We offer a discount banding on bare root plants making them cheaper the more you buy, see the table on each page for details of the price within each band.
Q: Do I need canes?
A: Bamboo canes are perfect for giving young saplings, hedging plants, climbers and other tall shrubs the support they need when they start to establish. Unless you are planting in a completely sheltered spot with very little chance of wind then we would always recommend using a cane for support.
Q: Do I need rabbit guards?
A: Spiral Rabbit Guards are the most popular, low cost tree protection for young saplings, seedlings, transplants and hedging plants from browsing animals such as voles, mice, rabbits and hares. Spiral Rabbit Guards have the ability to grow and expand with the growing tree, providing a sheltered environment for the tree. It's hard to say for certain if you will require the extra protection a rabbit guard provides, if your are aware of a particular pest problem in your planting location then we would recommend using them. Rabbit Guards are not suitable for 'evergreens' please see 'Shrub Shelters' for a suitable evergreen protection method.
Q: What is a shrub/tree shelter?
A: Shrub/Tree Shelters are similar to rabbit guards but are designed for use on evergreens that would sweat and die in rabbit guards. We supply shrub/tree shelters as a kit which includes the shelter, 1 Stake and 2 cable ties, one kit is required per plant.
Q: Do I need shrub/tree shelters?
A: If you are aware of any specific pest problems in your planting area then we would recommend using a shrub/tree shelter to give your young trees or hedging plants that extra protection.
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