Juglans regia 'Europa' | Common Walnut | Bare Root
A compact common walnut tree cropping early in its life
Juglans regia 'Europa' is a heavy-cropping walnut tree, which produces nuts relatively early in its life. This variety is further prized for the wonderful grain of its timber later in life too! A little more compact than what a traditional walnut may be, once established, 'Europa' will make a pretty hardy addition to your garden. In springtime, delicate catkins will appear; adding floral charm and beautiful movement to the surrounding landscape.
- Pollination Group: Not applicable (Fruit trees will benefit from a pollination partner that is in the same (or neighbouring) pollination group)
- Self-Fertile: Yes (Self-fertile trees will produce fruit without a partner, but will still benefit from one for the best crops)
- Harvesting Period: October to November
- Estimated Time to Cropping: Five years
- Uses: Nuts, ornamental
- Supplied As: Bare root
- Height on Arrival: 120 - 150cm (Height can vary depending on when you purchase your tree, and what rootstock and variety combination you buy)
- Age: One year
- Rootstock: Walnut seedling (Rootstocks will determine the eventual size of your tree)
- Eventual Height & Spread: 5 - 8m (Eventual size will depend on both environmental and genetic conditions)
Pots and Packaging
Bare root plants are either wrapped in plastic bags or waxed paper where possible and then placed into a cardboard box.
Preparation
The nursery will ensure the plant is moist while it's waiting to be picked up. Our quality control team waters the plant before packing them where necessary to make sure that the plant is suitably watered for transport. Plants with long delicate stems are secured with canes to prevent damage.
Plant on Arrival
Typically plants are delivered ready to plant and will take some time to settle, grow and look more like the product image above.
Fruit trees are often budded or grafted onto a rootstock by their nursery, which means their roots are of a different plant to that of their branches and fruit. As a consequence, you will have a variety with the best qualities of two plants (such as good roots and fruiting). An important result of a rootstock is the ability to control the size of the plant. However, this can still be impacted by a number of factors:
- The fruit variety
- Pruning
- Soil type
- Planting position
Some varieties are naturally more vigorous than others, so this will affect how much they grow each year. For example, a Bramley Apple seedling will naturally grow bigger than a Cox's Orange Pippin Apple seedling. The correct pruning will also help to control the size of your plant, as well as encouraging it to produce flower buds from which fruit develop.
Your plant's soil and planting location will also affect its resulting size. Most need a good amount of sunshine to grow well (and also for their fruit to ripen with a high sugar content). Trees growing in cold, open spots will grow slower than those that are protected and warm. The same is true for soil, with those growing in light sandy soils often growing more slowly, while those planted in rich, fertile soils being more vigorous.
Fruit trees will only produce fruit if their flowers have been pollinated. This is usually done by pollinating insects, which transfer pollen from one flower to another. Honeybees, the main pollinating insect, will travel several miles in search of blossom, so if there is another apple or crabapple flowering in that radius your tree will produce fruit.
Some apple trees are self-fertile while others require a pollination partner from the same or neighbouring pollination group. Self-fertile varieties will produce fruit without a pollination partner, but benefit from a partner for heavier yields. Triploid trees can't pollinate other trees, but can be pollinated by another. Crabapples will pollinate apples too.
With the right care, your walnut tree will make a wonderful addition to your garden. Below we address some common query topics:
The key to keeping a flourishing walnut tree is to make sure it establishes well. As once it has, it will be a relatively easy going addition to your garden.
Your walnut tree needs a warm, sheltered site that receives plenty of sun. Soil-wise, this plant likes deep, rich soil with a pH between 6 and 7.5. We advise to grow it as a standalone specimen or in a pure stand to avoid competition.
Advice on hot and droopy plants
If your plants are looking a little wilted right now, don’t worry! Plants like to be filled with water to keep their structure, and when it’s hot that water evaporates.
Just give them an off-schedule watering and they’ll be right as rain in no time! Be careful not to flood them - plants don’t like extremes.
Once planted, you should water your tree at least bimonthly for two months. It is also important to have adequate spacing between each tree, with 1.5m, 3m and 3.5 - 4m spacing between M27, M26 and MM106 trees (respectively).
Bare root and containerised trees have differing planting requirements, detailed below:
- Watering: Bare root trees should have their roots soaked in water for up to 2 hours before planting, while with containerised trees, it is important to drench their root ball before planting.
- Pruning: Another difference is that for bare root trees, it is useful to prune their woody roots back a few inches. However, for containerised trees, you should free any spiralized roots growing around their rootball's circumference.
- Planting: With bare root trees, you should dig a hole to enable the graft point to be above the soil, while with containerised trees, the pot should sit no lower than an inch below the ground.
Bare root and containerised trees also share planting requirements, detailed below:
- With both, you should dig a hole that is twice the radius of their rootball. Stake your trees no more than 2 - 3 inches from the stem, and make sure that they are pointing away from the prevailing wind.
- Fill the planting hole with a mix of compost and garden soil, finishing with fertiliser and mycorrhizal fungi. Take care to not compress the soil.
- Once you are happy with your efforts, give your tree a generous watering.
- Add mulch on top (this can be bark and wood chippings, compost, manure, leaf-mould, and stones), and ensure that these do not touch the stem of the tree.
- Tie the stake to your tree (and leave space for growth), and place a rabbit guard around your tree to protect it from harmful pests.
- Apply fertiliser and replace decomposed mulch come spring. When autumn arrives, remove fallen leaves to prevent the risk of disease. You should also make sure that the ties are not rubbing your tree.
Primrose is the place to be to Discover Everything Garden.
We were created in 2003 to become the UK's largest online-only garden centre. Thousands of plants, planters, awnings, garden furniture sets, water features and more line our digital shelves, and we're ready to fill your garden with comfort, quality, colour and style.
If you'd like to find out more, check out our 'About Us' page.
We want you to be happy with your purchase from the moment it arrives, but if you aren't you have the right to return it within 14 days. Just head to our Returns Page, send us an email, receive a returns number and fire your product back to us.
We'll refund the full cost as well as standard delivery.
Highlands and Islands
We calculate delivery costs at checkout based on your entered postcode, so you'll know at that stage if your chosen product can be sent to you. If you have any queries, please head to Contact Us and send over a form, or visit our Help Centre.
| Species | Soft Fruit Plants |
|---|---|
| Supplied As | Bare Root |
| Shop By Category | Fruit Trees |