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Selecting Landscape Plants: Shade Trees
Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum)
Large trees
- Maximum height
60 feet
- Relative growth rate
Poor
- Freedom from insect pests
Good
- Freedom from disease problems
Good
- Resistance to storm damage
Poor
- Will grow on poorly drained soil
Poor
- Will grow in hot, dry areas
Poor
- Easy to transplant
Poor
- Withstands city conditions
Poor
The horse chestnut is a magnificent tree in the spring when its foot-long
panicles of showy flowers cover the tree like candles on a Christmas tree. It
is definitely not a tree for the small yard. Its course texture and large size
make it look out of place except in a very large area. The horse chestnut has
earned a bad reputation in many areas. Its branches are relatively weak and subject
to storm damage. The large nuts are produced profusely. They have no economic
or ornamental value and are a nuisance wherever they fall.
The Baumann horse chestnut, a double-flowered variety, should be planted
in preference to the standard varieties because it does not produce seed. There
is also a red-flowered form available that is more showy than the standard white-flowered
types.
G6800, revised June 2008
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