Quercus 'Crimschmidt' (Crimson Spire Oak)

last year

I'm thinking of planting three of these at the woodland edge as a screen and ornamental appeal. This open area is roughly 50' across x 25'deep. There should be enough space for them to mature, but there is only 5'-6' hours of full sun. It's a dry woodland, with surrounding mature trees being predominantly Red Maple and Northern Pin Oak, with a few Basswood also nearby.

This hybrid oak has been around for close to thirty years, and I'm hoping a few can share their experience with it. Does the fall color and fast growth rate live up to nursery promotion? Would five hours of sun be adequate to develop into a nice specimen?

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Comments (5)

Embothrium
last year
last modified: last year
In my climate area the autumn color is dull red and the dead leaves linger. As in I don't think it is particularly attractive. Otherwise oaks in general do not reach their full potential without the benefit of good sun exposure, achieved later in their lives if not right from the start. Also since the variety you have asked about is a narrow variant = inherently formal in aspect it is likely to look like a tuxedo at a picnic when planted in a naturalistic setting.
maackia
Original Author
last year
The "tuxedo at a picnic" comment is interesting. I hadn't considered that and certainly not what I'm looking for. I initially tried Fraser Firs on this site, but they failed to prosper and were also battered from deer browse. Back to square one.
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whaas: The persistent leaf trait is termed marcescence. While pin oak is pretty commonly noticed, there are quite a few more members of Quercus that behave this way - as well as other species. The relative persistent of the old foliage will vary somewhat with where you garden, but all of these species hold leaves through the winter here at the Valley. Another note: the overall effect of this trait will change over time, as the plant increases its canopy size. You notice the effect on some columnar oaks, where the canopy is relatively dense and limited. On young trees with a small amount of canopy surface area, the effect is magnified. As that canopy increases in area and height, changing your viewing angle, the effect will gradually diminish. I have used marcescent trees often to aid in screening undesirable views like billboards, factories, odd adjoining residents, etc. They also function well to further frame desirable views. **Quercus acutissima **Quercus imbricaria **Quercus bicolor **Quercus alba **Quercus dentata **Quercus falcata var. pagodifolia (Q. pagoda) **Quercus robur **Carpinus betulus **Hamamelis vernalis **Acer saccharum If you're a neat freak in the garden, this habit is not for you. But if you want to extend the season of screening with a deciduous plant, then you've got more than a couple choices.
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i love oaks for gardening under ... no experience with this one.. what is the potential width.. and how far from the house are you considering ... newer sealed sewer lines.. or septic field?? no tree should be that close to a field ... i would not feed the hosta ever again.. if you want the tree to ignore them.. if you fert the plants under the tree... you can figure out where it will grow roots ... i wonder what the understock is ... my oaks.. love my hot dry sand.. i do NOT know if they will appreciate.. as a babe ... the wet black loam ... 6 hours of sun is not bad.. but it isnt that great.. i do NOT know the shade tolerance of oak ... just listing variables that come to mind .. good luck ken
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come on will ... intuit it.. be the squirrel previously mentioned ... how would he plant it ... 2 inches deep.. ?? i would favor sideways.. as i am never online to research such ... i would fill a pot with at least 50% mulch and 50 media ... and i would put it on the north side of the house.. near the sliding door to keep the rats with furry tails away ... and when it froze solid.. i would tip it over until april ... let ma nature take care of it ... i learned this system.. when some idiot squirrel planted a bunch of acorns.. unbeknownst to me.. in a pot i ended up throwing in the pole barn ... and come next spring.. i found a bunch of oaks growing in a hosta.. lol .. there is no nut reason to throw the pot in the barn ... if its growing in your yard.. it is a zone appropriate nut... but for a black pot heating and reheating in sun in winter.. the best would be.. if it were buried in snow all winter ... that is a very long story.. for letting ma nature do it.. and not overthinking it all .. why in the world.. you would want to stratify them.. and grow them indoors is beyond me.. other than for the very good reason of experimenting .... be the squirrel ... they surely know how to do it ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: i suppose you arent old enough for this obscure reference????
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Embothrium
last year
The native oak group I belong to here in western Washington plants the local oak species we are trying to conserve inside two sets of wire cages designed to exclude both the deer and the rodents that are likely to attack them in our area. With the site our most recent effort occurred on also having a solitary male elk that has lived within the preserve for years. So again substantial protective caging appeared to be called for.
pennlake
last year
My Crimson Spire is stunning right now. I was surprised it still colored up after low 20 degree temps. I also chose it because it does retain the leaves all winter which is what I wanted for that spot.
Embothrium
last year
(1) crimschmidt fall color - Bing images

Quercus 'Crimschmidt' (Crimson Spire Oak)

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maackia
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Quercus 'Crimschmidt' (Crimson Spire Oak)

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maackiaOriginal Author

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maackia
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