Common Alder

How to grow Common Alder

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

Planting

Plant bare-root in winter. This is the tree for ground that stays wet — pond margins, ditches, floodplain corners — where most other trees fail. It fixes nitrogen through root nodules, so it also copes with impoverished soil.

Pruning

Minimal. Remove dead wood in late summer. It coppices well if you want to keep it as a multi-stemmed shrub rather than a tree.

Propagation

Sow seed from the small woody cones in autumn. Hardwood cuttings are also possible but less reliable.

Pests and diseases

Alder leaf beetle causes conspicuous leaf damage without lasting harm. Phytophthora root disease affects alders along watercourses and causes dieback and dark bleeding at the base of the trunk.

Value to wildlife

Excellent for wildlife: siskins and redpolls feed on the seed through winter, and the submerged roots shelter fish and invertebrates in streams and pond margins.

Notes

Catkins in late winter are the main ornamental feature, well before most trees are in leaf. It is short-lived by tree standards and grows fast, so it establishes a wet-ground planting quickly.

Some structured details on this page (such as tolerances, pH and hardiness) come from USDA PLANTS Database (public domain). The written guidance is GardenDecoded's own, researched as described in our editorial policy.

Other names for this plant

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

Others in Alnus