I planted a swamp white oak 18 months ago. Was just under 5' tall container, mail order from Forest Farm. I had read that swamp whites are slow growers, but mine has been very vigorous. I think buying small is a good strategy because the 10' B&B's at the garden centers will stare at your for a couple years before taking off and require a lot more watering. This guy will catch up with the bigger ones. I just watered mine weekly during the first summer, but did not water at all the second year. Generously mulched w/ leaf compost. Grew like crazy. I had to re-establish the central leader due to heavy deer browsing. After protecting, it easily put on 2-3 feet in height and a ton of density in the second summer. The trunk really bulked up quickly too. Looks like a winner. Fall color is better than expected, kind of a pale orange. In an area like NE Ohio, which is often pretty wet but also goes through some dry spells, swamp whites seem to thrive. Unlike a lot of oaks, they can supposedly handle wet or dry. Northern reds seem to prefer somewhat drier sites. Of course, Northern Reds are still very good trees. If you are dealing with wetness and/or clay soils, an alternative is the Nuttalli. They have the best form of the reds from what I have seen around here and are starting to gain traction. Guy Sternberg developed a nice cultivar (New Madrid) that you can buy mail-order. Just got one of those too.

@Lori A. Sawaya Happy Thanksgiving !! I am looking to get some idea before appointment as first time buyer for Kitchen. I am looking for 2 tone kitchen cabinet, Thanks a ton for above thread, upper could be PPG Dedicate white and lower equivalent to BM Hale Navy, would you please help to find equivalent of BM's Hale Navy on PPG, I checked Cavalry & Annapolis Blue both are near to that but I am not sure, if those are accurate. Ceiling : PPG Dedicate White, Trim - PPG Dedicate White , Counter - White & Grey Granite, Cabinet : Upper Fixture : PPG Dedicate White, Lower : BM Hale Navy equivalent., Island : BM HN, South Facing large open concept Kitchen with Family Room, Breakfast Nook : PPG Whiskers equivalent to Agreeable Grey. Attached catalog pages for reference.

You need a warm color with those beautiful floors. BM White Dove as it is warm and Paper White is cool. I wouldn't use a gray with the floors. Pale Oak could work as well.

I must agree. i have spent many many hours trying to figure a colorr with very light gray. i have bought about 10 samples of blues, greens qnd whites. first of all, most colors lean towards green. i guess it is the solution to getting a more true shade. as for blues, every blue i have put on wall, turns purple sonwhere or sometime during the day. forget it- id like gray, but i have determined that the hue needs to be darker- or or, i think in technical terms, it is the lrv. i do not like yellows. i have been blessed with tiles for my kitchen and large foyer that are seamist, grey, and white. not what i would have chosen, but not what i want to take upon redoing. so, i am just putting all the whites so far that i have tried again, on posterboard, and will decide on one. mind you i have samples from behr, sw and bm. yes yes, i am very neurotic on paint. for one reason, its very expensive to paint all rooms, so i really do not want to redo in a year b4cause i hate it; furthermore, i dont want to rush. i have tead a comment qbout intense white, bm, and i have to agree that it is the best very light grey that does not turn purple. i think it is because our home has lots of windows, and lots of sun so it could be very misleading.i am only going tontry one more paint called moderna white- either behr or sw. also my son has been set on heron white - aither bm or sw - so i may try that. so far i have sampled white dove- way too yellow; chantilly lace- pretty white but really white so my tiles are not quite that white, consequently, they look dirty. Alabaster, atrium like but have to figure its undertone. china white - i think more off-white; seapearl, i thought looked a little yellow, but im waiting that. white ice, a very very lite green. i also like winter white. my favs are winter ejite and intense white. so so, if you have any suggestions for a white color please comment and inwill do same.😀