Swamp white oak

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light shade but develops a better crown in an open position.

Water

Moderate to high; prefers consistently moist ground and tolerates seasonal flooding. Established trees withstand occasional dry periods, but prolonged drought can cause stress.

Soil

Deep, acidic to neutral soil, including clay and ground with imperfect drainage. Avoid strongly alkaline soil and permanently submerged sites.

Height

50-60 ft (15-18 m), occasionally taller

Spread

50-60 ft (15-18 m)

Flowers

Spring, as leaves emerge; yellow-green male catkins and tiny, inconspicuous female flowers.

Foliage

Broad leaves with shallow, rounded lobes or coarse teeth; dark green above and whitish with fine hairs beneath. Autumn colour is usually yellow to brown, occasionally reddish.

Growth

Moderate, sometimes faster when young on moist, fertile ground.

Care needed

Low

• Cold hardy
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   10 ft (2.9 m)

3. After 2 years

   13 ft (3.8 m)

4. After 3 years

   15 ft (4.7 m)

5. After 5 years

   21 ft (6.5 m)

About 16 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant where the mature crown and roots have room, well away from buildings and overhead wires.
• Set the root flare at soil level; do not bury the trunk or plant into a permanently water-filled hole.
• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two or three growing seasons.
• Maintain a mulch layer 2-3 in (5-8 cm) deep over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Avoid routine feeding; investigate soil conditions before treating pale leaves.
• Protect the root area from vehicles, soil compaction and changes in ground level.

Pruning. Prune young trees in winter dormancy to establish one main leader and well-spaced branches; avoid unnecessary cuts on mature trees. Where oak wilt occurs, follow local restrictions and avoid pruning during the growing season, especially spring and early summer.

Winter

Inspect branch structure and carry out light formative pruning while dormant, following local oak-wilt guidance.

Early spring

Plant while dormant if the ground is workable and not waterlogged; check the root flare before backfilling.

Late spring

Refresh mulch and check new foliage for persistent yellowing between green veins.

Summer

Water young trees deeply during dry weather and inspect for dieback or unusual wilting.

Autumn

Collect ripe acorns promptly if you want to propagate; do not let them dry out.

Late autumn

Retain fallen leaves beneath the crown where practical, but clear acorns from paths where they create a slipping hazard.

• Use as a long-lived specimen shade tree in a large lawn, allowing space for its spreading crown.
• Plant along the upper edge of a pond or in a seasonally wet swale, rather than in permanent standing water.
• Combine with moisture-tolerant native shrubs and sedges to create a layered woodland edge.
• Use in a spacious rain garden or naturalistic landscape where acorns and fallen leaves can remain.

Garden styles it suits: Woodland, Wildlife garden, Grand estate, New England, Low-maintenance and Autumn colour.

Plant it with: Winterberry, Buttonbush, Virginia sweetspire, Pennsylvania sedge, Tussock sedge and Cinnamon fern.

Wildlife: Acorns feed squirrels, jays, deer and other wildlife. Leaves support many moth and butterfly caterpillars in its native range, while the mature crown and cavities provide shelter and nesting sites for birds.

• Iron chlorosis on alkaline soil: leaves turn yellow between green veins. Test the soil and seek advice on suitable treatment; choosing a different tree is often better than repeatedly treating an unsuitable site.
• Anthracnose: cool, wet springs can bring brown leaf blotches and some leaf drop. Maintain tree vigour and remove fallen affected leaves where practical; established trees seldom need fungicide.
• Oak wilt in affected parts of North America: sudden wilting or branch death needs prompt assessment by a qualified arborist. Avoid pruning during local high-risk periods and do not move infected firewood.
• Scale insects: heavy infestations can cause sticky deposits and twig decline. Encourage natural predators and have significant infestations identified before choosing a correctly timed treatment.

Acorns, buds and leaves contain tannins and can poison horses and other grazing animals, especially when eaten in quantity; kidney damage can be fatal. Dogs can develop digestive upset or more serious poisoning after eating acorns, which also present a choking or blockage risk. Cats should not be allowed to eat the plant, although poisoning is less commonly reported. Raw acorns are not suitable for people to eat without proper processing to remove tannins.

• White oak (Quercus alba)

  White oak usually has more deeply cut, rounded leaf lobes and lacks the strongly whitish, felted leaf undersides and conspicuously long acorn stalks of swamp white oak.

• Swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii)

  Swamp chestnut oak generally has larger leaves with numerous regular rounded teeth and larger acorns on short stalks; swamp white oak often bears paired acorns on long stalks.

• English oak (Quercus robur)

  English oak also has long-stalked acorns, but its leaves usually have tiny ear-like lobes at the base and lack the densely whitish undersides of swamp white oak.

Quercus is the Latin name for oak, bicolor refers to the contrasting upper and lower leaf surfaces, and 'swamp white oak' describes its pale leaf undersides and preference for moist lowland ground.

Propagation. Grow from ripe acorns collected in autumn. Sow promptly in deep pots or a protected nursery bed, keeping them moist and shielding them from rodents; acorns may begin rooting soon after they fall. Move young plants before their developing roots become crowded.

Accepted botanical name

Quercus bicolor

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Masachusettes and Michigan.

Measured

Soil pH 4.3 to 6.5. Average height 2100 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.