Selecting Landscape Plants: Shade Trees

White oak (Quercus alba)

Large trees

• Maximum height
  80 feet
• Relative growth rate
  Poor
• Freedom from insect pests
  Good
• Freedom from disease problems
  Excellent
• Resistance to storm damage
  Excellent
• Will grow on poorly drained soil
  Poor
• Will grow in hot, dry areas
  Excellent
• Easy to transplant
  Very poor
• Withstands city conditions
  Good

A mature white oak is one of the most majestic of trees. They are rounded in outline with thick sturdy horizontal branches. The white oak is slower growing and more difficult to transplant than the other oaks. However, it is not as susceptible to insects and diseases, and it grows on a wider range of soil types. It is a difficult species to transplant and should only be moved in the spring.