Common Horsechestnut

Aesculus hippocastanum

L. Species

Aesculus hippocastanum
Unknown photographer — CC BY 4.0
Aesculus hippocastanum photograph 1 Aesculus hippocastanum photograph 2 Aesculus hippocastanum photograph 3 Aesculus hippocastanum photograph 4 Aesculus hippocastanum photograph 5 Aesculus hippocastanum photograph 6
Botanical name
Aesculus hippocastanum
Also known as
Common Horse Chestnut, Common Horsechestnut, Conker-Tree, Horse Chestnut, Horse-Chestnut, Horsechestnut
Family
Sapindaceae
Genus
Aesculus
Flowering period
May
Height
20–30 m
Spread
15–20 m
Hardiness
Fully hardy (RHS H6)
Reference
World Flora Online

How to grow Common Horsechestnut

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team Last reviewed 21 July 2026 Written for UK gardens How we research our guidance

Sunlight
Full sun to partial shade
Watering
Low once established
Soil
Deep, fertile, moisture-retentive; dislikes thin dry soils
Soil pH
Acid, neutral or alkaline

Planting

A parkland tree, not a garden one. It needs a great deal of room and casts dense shade, so plant only where there is space for a broad mature crown well away from buildings and drains.

Pruning

Needs no routine pruning. Remove dead or damaged limbs in autumn or winter; mature specimens should be assessed by an arborist.

Propagation

Sow conkers fresh in autumn in deep pots outdoors. They lose viability quickly if allowed to dry out.

Pests and diseases

Horse chestnut leaf miner is now widespread and turns the foliage brown from midsummer; it looks alarming but rarely kills trees. Bleeding canker is more serious and causes dark weeping patches on the trunk and progressive dieback.

Value to wildlife

The candles are a heavy early nectar and pollen source for bumblebees. Conkers are eaten by deer and squirrels but by few native species.

Notes

Falling conkers and large heavy leaves make it a poor choice near parking, paths or ponds. Check the toxicity of the seeds before planting where children or pets have unsupervised access.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Aesculus hippocastanum but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Aesculus asplenifolia Aesculus castanea Aesculus hippocastanum f. beaumanii Aesculus hippocastanum f. pendula Aesculus hippocastanum var. argenteovariegata Aesculus hippocastanum var. aureovariegata Aesculus hippocastanum var. beaumanii Aesculus hippocastanum var. flore-pleno Aesculus hippocastanum var. incisa Aesculus hippocastanum var. pendula Aesculus hippocastanum var. variegata Aesculus memmingeri Aesculus procera Aesculus septenata Hippocastanum aesculus Hippocastanum vulgare Pawia hippocastanum

Others in Aesculus

Aesculus × bushii
Aesculus × hybrida
Aesculus × marylandica
Aesculus × mutabilis
Aesculus assamica
Aesculus californica
Aesculus chinensis
Chinese Horse-Chestnut
Aesculus chinensis var. chinensis

GardenDecoded is an educational gardening reference. Botanical data comes from World Flora Online and GBIF; growing guidance is our own. Always check a plant's toxicity and local invasiveness status before planting, and never eat or apply a plant based on this site alone.