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Mature Common Walnut Tree, Juglans regia Options
100-150cm: 5-9L pot. 2+ years old.
150-180cm: 9-12L pot, usually a half standard. 2-3 years old.
180-240cm: 12-18L pot, usually a half standard. 2-4 years old.
Girth 8-10cm: Standard, 25-30L pot, around 180-200cm clear stem, *roughly 240-300cm tall.
Girth 10-12cm: Standard, 30-35L pot, around 180-200cm clear stem, *roughly 300-360cm tall.
Girth 12-14cm: Standard, 35L pot, around 180-200cm clear stem, *roughly 360-420cm tall.
Girth 14-16cm: Standard, 50-70L pot, around 180-200cm clear stem, *roughly 420-480cm tall.
Girth 16-18cm: Standard, 70-90L pot, around 180-200cm clear stem, *roughly 480-500cm tall.
Girth 18-20cm: Standard, 90-110L pot, around 180-200cm clear stem, *roughly 500-520cm tall.
Girth 20-25cm: Standard, 90-130L pot, around 180-200cm clear stem, *roughly 520-540cm tall.
(HS) Girth 8-10cm: Half standard (usually around 80cm clear stem), 15-20L pot.
(HS) Girth 10-12cm: Half standard (usually around 80cm clear stem), 15-25L pot.
(HS) Girth 14-16cm: Half standard (usually around 80cm clear stem), 80+L pot.
(HS) Girth 16-18cm: Half standard (usually around 80cm clear stem), 80+L pot.
(HS) Girth 20-25cm: Half standard (usually around 80cm clear stem), 110+L pot.
*Heights are given as a very rough guideline and can vary considerably based on species and supplier. Each nursery experiences different growing conditions, and the tree may have been pruned before being sent out, so we can only guarantee girth. Trees over 5.5m may include a delivery surcharge based on location and species, but we will confirm this with you before progressing the order.
As a very general rule, each 1cm girth measurement represents around 30cm growth and/or 12-18 months growing time.
Standard and half standard mean lollipop shape. Industry definitions, which are not universal, usually mean half standards have around 80-150cm clear stem and standards have 180cm or more.
Common Walnut Tree, Juglans regia, The Classic English Walnut Tree
Juglans regia, or Common Walnut tree to its friends, is a large, long-lived walnut tree for those wanting an impressive edible nut tree with broad spreading growth, aromatic foliage, autumn colour, shade value and attractive timber interest. It is also known as English Walnut, Persian Walnut and Common Walnut.
Common Walnut can eventually reach around 30m high by 15m wide, so it is best suited to spacious gardens, orchards, paddocks, parkland or open sites where it has room to develop properly. This is a tree that will grow for you and on you.
A pinnate leaf is made up of several leaflets arranged along a central stem. With Juglans regia, what may look like several separate leaves is actually one larger compound leaf. The pinnate leaves on Common Walnut are ornamental and smell like polish when crushed. The spring catkins, rounded green-husked walnuts and yellow autumn colour also add strong ornamental interest. It forms a broad, spreading crown and becomes a substantial shade tree.
Common Walnut is usually described as partially self-fertile, so a single tree may produce nuts, but cropping can still vary with site, weather and season. For the best chance of walnuts, plant it in full sun in a reasonably sheltered position, avoiding frost pockets and very exposed sites. Spring frost can reduce fruit set, and nut cropping is generally less reliable in cooler or more northern parts of the UK. In short, anything above the Midlands and your chances of a full flush of walnuts start to reduce.
The nuts are edible and are the familiar common walnut type, although newly harvested nuts can be softer and slightly rubbery before drying. Drying helps the nuts store better. The green husks can stain hands and clothing, so gloves are sensible at picking time unless you want to pretend to be Kermit the Frog giving a handshake.
Seedling walnut trees can take years before meaningful crops appear, and large crops should not be expected immediately after planting.
Pests and diseases: Common Walnut is generally a robust tree, but not problem-free. Possible issues include squirrels taking nuts, aphids, walnut blister mite, leaf blotch/anthracnose and other site- or season-related problems. Good positioning, space, airflow and low competition while young all help. Low competition does not mean entering it into a fixed race, but ensuring grass, weeds and other plants are not competing for light, air, water and nutrients.
Routine pruning is usually limited to removing dead, damaged or badly placed growth.
Planting a Common Walnut Tree
Plant Common Walnut Tree in full sun, in deep, fertile, well-drained soil. It prefers a reasonably sheltered position and should not be planted in frost pockets, exposed windy sites, compacted ground or waterlogged soil.
Common Walnut develops a deep root system and a strong taproot from a young age, so plant it in its final position and leave it there. Take care not to damage the roots when planting.
Set the tree at the same depth it was growing in the pot, backfill with soil, firm gently and water thoroughly. Keep it watered during dry spells in the first growing season, and keep grass and weeds away from the base while it establishes. Young trees may also need protection from deer, rabbits or other browsing animals where these are a problem.
Useful Information About Common Walnut Tree
Juglans regia is not native to the UK and has a long cultivated history, with origins usually placed across south-eastern Europe and western/central Asia. It has been grown in Britain since at least Roman times and has long been valued for edible nuts and attractive timber.
The tree is widely cultivated in temperate regions and is one of the best-known nut trees in the world. It can be very long-lived, with some authority sources giving a normal lifespan of around 100–200 years in suitable conditions.
Common Walnut has separate male and female flowers on the same tree. The male flowers are catkins, while the female flowers are much less obvious. Pollination is by wind, so good weather and a suitable site matter.
Walnut roots and fallen material can inhibit some nearby plant growth because they are associated with juglone and other inhibitory compounds. Without giving you a complete chemistry lesson, you only need to know that some plants directly under the canopy may have a harder time growing, so avoid promising yourself a lush mixed border directly underneath an established walnut. It is better treated as a large specimen tree with plenty of open ground around it.
Common Walnut has also been valued for its timber, which is used for fine decorative woodwork and furniture. That is not a quick benefit for the average garden owner, but it does help explain why walnut has been planted and prized for so long.
Message card included at no additional cost if required.
If you are looking for more than one tree, e.g. setting up an orchard, then take a peek at WHOLESALE WALNUT TREES where you will receive large discounts for bulk purchases.
Ornamental Tree Roots In The Shade e.g. Behind A Fence
It is more important that that foliage (posh term for leaves) receives the sunlight than the roots. So if the canopy of your ornamental tree can sunbathe but the bottom of your tree thinks there has been a nuclear winter then that is ok. You might want to ensure you have good drainage as water and no sun is the start of algae and other such issues.
Do I Need To Stake My Ornamental Tree?
Our article on Tree Staking should help guide you.
Planting In The Corner Of A Garden
Air and light is reduced in this location which could promote fungus and bacterial issues. If the corner is of the house and a fence then you also have leeching issues to contend with from cement and wood preservatives. Also when it rains, that area would experience higher water levels so we advise against it unless the plant is very hardy.
General Walnut Information
Walnuts can be difficult to establish in their first year, and some shoot-tip dieback can happen while young trees settle in. To improve their chances, water well during dry spells and keep grass and weeds cleared from around the base of the tree, ideally to about 1 metre across. Walnut trees tolerate a range of soils, but they establish best in deep, fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny, sheltered position.
Most walnut trees sold for fruit are grafted rather than grown from seed. Grafted walnut trees usually give more predictable variety characteristics, better size and shape consistency, and earlier cropping than seed-grown walnuts. Some grafted walnut varieties can start cropping within a few years of planting, depending on the variety, tree size, growing conditions and establishment.
If you are going to pickle walnuts, pick them in late June or early July, before the shell has properly hardened.
To improve fruiting, some growers use a technique called girdling, ringing or cincturing. This deliberately restricts the flow of sap to reduce vegetative growth and encourage fruiting. It must be treated with caution: if done too tightly, too deeply, for too long, or in the wrong place, it can damage or even kill the tree. RHS notes that ringing is used in fruit production but is not advised for home gardeners because of the risk if done incorrectly. Anyone considering it should research the technique properly first and understand the risk before trying it.
Ideal conditions for walnut trees are deep, fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil, full sun, shelter from strong winds and avoidance of frost pockets. If the soil is poor, improve the wider planting area with well-rotted organic matter rather than creating a rich isolated pocket in the planting hole.
Walnuts are large trees, so check the expected mature size of the variety before planting. Many need a generous open position rather than a small garden corner. A nitrogen-rich feed or a quality mulch in early spring can help keep the tree healthy, especially while it is establishing.
Walnut shells have interesting uses in industry. They are used for cleaning and polishing materials such as soft metals, plastics, wood, stone and fibreglass.
Walnut trees can produce juglone, a natural compound that may suppress the growth of some nearby plants. The issue is generally associated more strongly with black walnut, Juglans nigra, but English/Persian walnut, Juglans regia, can still produce juglone to a lesser degree. Avoid planting very sensitive plants directly beneath or very close to walnut trees, especially under the canopy where roots, fallen leaves and husks are concentrated. Shade, dry soil and root competition can also make planting under an older walnut difficult.
Seed-grown Juglans regia can take many years to crop, which is one reason grafted walnut varieties are usually preferred for fruit production.
Walnuts are one of the oldest tree foods known to have been used by people, with records commonly traced back thousands of years. The common walnut is often associated with Persia and the wider region around modern Iran, and walnut trees were introduced to Britain by the Romans.
Walnut trees can be long-lived, and established trees may remain productive for many decades in good conditions.
Walnuts are energy-dense and contain unsaturated fats, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Per 100g of shelled walnut, they contain approximately:
65g of fat, most of which is unsaturated fat
15g of protein
14g carbohydrates
7g dietary fibre
Calories per 100g: around 650
Per 100g of shelled walnut, they also contain approximately:
441mg potassium
346mg phosphorus
158mg magnesium
98mg calcium
3.4mg manganese
3.1mg zinc
2.9mg iron
1.6mg copper
98µg folate
0.54mg vitamin B6
0.34mg thiamin
General Walnut Tree Pollination
All walnut trees have male catkins and female flowers. In a perfect world, the male pollen release happens at the same time as the female flowers are ready to accept it and maximum pollination occurs giving largest possible walnut fruit harvest. Some walnuts have a time gap between the males releasing pollen to the females being ready to accept it i.e. smaller crop. By having another walnut tree that releases pollen at the same time as your female flowers are ready to accept it, you can increase the size of your walnut crop.
Unfortunately, pollination is not always a two way process like apples and other fruits so some combinations may mean only one tree has increased fruit yield. Our suggestions for partners give you maximum harvest size.
General Walnut Tree Pruning
Walnut trees need less pruning than apples, pears or plums. The aim is to build a strong, open tree, remove badly placed growth and avoid heavy cutting unless there is a clear reason.
The safest time to prune walnut trees is from mid-summer to early autumn, while the tree is still in leaf. If you absolutely must, this can be extended into early winter, but avoid pruning in late winter or spring because walnut trees can bleed sap heavily if cut at the wrong time. Choose a dry pruning day with good weather forecast to help cuts dry out. Do not use tree wound sealant, as this can trap pathogens.
For a young walnut tree, keep pruning light. Remove dead, damaged, diseased, crossing or badly placed shoots. If the tree is forming a poor shape, choose a good main leader and well-spaced side branches, then remove competing leaders or awkward branches before they become large.
Some inward-growing young shoots may be trained into a better position rather than cut out. Do not tie string tightly around a walnut branch, as this can restrict growth. Use a loose loop, rubber tree tie or another non-restricting method.
For an established walnut tree, prune only where there is a clear reason. Remove dead wood, crowded or crossing branches, and any low limbs that are in the way. Avoid heavy cutting and do not try to keep the tree small by hacking it back; walnuts respond better to early training and light correction than hard pruning later.
Walnut Tree Shaping For Light And Higher Yields
A walnut tree with a clear main leader and well-spaced side branches is usually easier to train into a strong, open shape. Good spacing helps light and air reach more of the canopy, which supports healthy growth and cropping.
The basic aim is to avoid the upper branches becoming too dominant and shading the lower branches. On young trees, remove or shorten badly placed competing growth early, before it becomes large. Keep the branches well spaced from each other to promote light and air through the canopy.
A bush-shaped walnut tree, where several main branches start low to the ground, is best pruned lightly to keep the centre open and reduce crossing, crowded or inward-growing branches.
Training young side branches to a wider, more horizontal angle can help create a stronger, better-lit branch structure and may improve cropping potential.
