About
Juglans cinerea is a deciduous tree that typically attains a height of 15 to 18 meters at full maturity. Its bark is notably deeply ridged, displaying shades of grey to brown. The elongated leaves emerge with a copper hue, transitioning to vibrant green before taking on a yellow tone in the fall. The male flowers appear as pale green catkins, while the female flowers are distinguished by their red, fuzzy appearance, eventually maturing into green walnuts by late summer. Notably, this species can begin producing edible walnuts when the tree is still relatively young, often within a decade. To ensure optimal fruiting, most trees will benefit from the presence of a pollinator of a different variety, even if they possess self-fertility.
About the genus
Juglans are trees that shed their leaves in autumn, characterized by their compound leaves. They produce subtle flowers arranged in catkins, which are succeeded by typically edible nuts.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, North-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Fruit Edible, Trees
- Habit
- Spreading branched
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- Higher than 12 metres
- Spread
- 4-8 metres
- Time to full height
- 20-50 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural, Wildlife gardens
- Native to
- Eastern N America
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in any deep, fertile soil. Suited to very large gardens or parks. For nut production, more than one tree is needed for cross pollination
- Pruning
- Pruning group 1
- Propagation
- Propagate by grafting
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids and walnut blister mites
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to walnut leaf spot, walnut leaf blotch, honey fungus and coral spot