Sorry, I have had little luck with even the natives once the hottest humidest part of the summer sets in. I know there is a nice European horsechestnut at Duke Gardens, at the base of the wisteria terrace. I would do a search of Aesculus at Raulston Arboretum site - I think they grow several.

A. turbinata is supposed to be as suseptible to leaf blotch as A. hippocastanum. Dirr says that A. indica would probably be best suited to San Francison and the Pacific Northwest, which doesn't sound hopeful for here. Not sure about A. octandra outside the mountains but it sounds like the most promising of the group.

I don't know anything about varieties of horse chestnut. I have two that I share on a property line with my neighbor. We both hate the trees equally.

I shoveled 5 large loads of seed pods today from the smallest of the two trees. The largest tree has yet to finish dropping.

They don't have any problem thriving here. If you are interested in pics of these trees to help identify variety just let me know. If there were any way these trees could be transplanted I would pay you to take them but they are way too large. It looks like they will both end up in the wood pile as soon as it can be arranged.

The trees live and grow but are victims of many pests and diseases that leave the trees defoliated for much of the growing season. There's a pair of Aesculus near the rose garden at the JC Raulston Arboretum (I think they're X rosea) that are gorgeous in bloom in the spring, and leafless by July.

alicia, maybe we have a resistant variety here and don't know it. Ours provide wonderful shade, one is fairly large and the other is a grand old man - quite a large specimen. I really hate to lose the shade they provide but the seed pods are back breaking to pick up and will tear up lawn mower blades if left on the ground - not to mention that you can't walk on a carpet of them. Ours will not lose their leaves until well after the first frost. I don't mind the mountain of leaves though - just the seed pods.

Gurley, what color are the flowers, and are the seeds prickly?

The seeds are extremely prickly and so far I have been out of town every time they flower so I have not seen them. It is not looking good for me next year either - I seem to always miss spring! :-(

Yours sounds like the common horsechestnut, A. hippocastanum.

A. hippocastanum; Yes, I googled it and that looks just like my trees.